Fresh off signing a three-year, $39 million extension that cements him as a fixture for the Golden State Warriors, Moses Moody entered Wednesday's season-opener for the first time to open the second quarter. Even more damning, at least in the moment, of his place in the Dubs' rotational hierarchy to tip off 2024-25? Moody was Golden State's seventh man off the bench and 12th player to get on the floor in as many minutes of action.

The Warriors' new Strength in Numbers certainly didn't always look good in Rip City. But after an ugly first few minutes from a new starting lineup, the Dubs easily pulled away from the overmatched Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center for a 139-104 victory.

Buddy Hield led Golden State with 22 points, imbuing his team with some much-needed energy and long-range shooting as its first man off the bench. Andrew Wiggins shook off a rough start to score 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including four triples. Stephen Curry didn't manage his first field goal until shaking loose for a backdoor layup well into the second quarter, coming alive after halftime to finish with 17 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists.

All but three of Moody's 15 points came in extended garbage time. Trayce Jackson-Davis, De'Anthony Melton and Jonathan Kuminga—clearly still acclimating to his primary role on the wing—were the only other Warriors to reach double-figures.

That hardly means Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, Brandin Podziemski and Kyle Anderson didn't contribute to Golden State's blowout victory. They connected the game on both ends with quick-hitting passes, perfectly angled screens and the typical fight they always provide.

How could Steve Kerr possibly make a decision on trimming his extended rotation after Wednesday's game? The four-time champion coach, breaking with longstanding personal and league-wide norms, has simply decided against it, committing to the same 12-man rotation he rolled out in Portland.

“We’re gonna do it. I’ve never played 12 before, but we’re gonna do it,” Kerr said on the postgame podium. “It’s not easy. It’s not easy on anybody. But we just have to trust from one night to the next we’re gonna find combinations that really work, and the guys have to understand that some night’s their night, some night’s not, and that’s okay as long as we continue to play together and play hard.”

Warriors' 12-man rotation begs for consolidation

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr claps during the first half against the Portland Trailblazers at Moda Center.

It's always foolish to deduce too much from any standalone game, let alone a season-opener. The first Wednesday of a new 82-game grind, especially, always produces results that are truly head-scratching a couple months later.

The overarching takeaway from Golden State's beatdown of the perpetually rebuilding Blazers doesn't apply. The Warriors really are that much better than Portland. But that objectively low level of competition also lends itself to positive confirmation bias, like the notion that deploying 12 players over a 48-minute game is a prudent long-term approach.

Kerr's dilemma is understandable. There really isn't a player among Golden State's top-12 who would be easy to leave on the bench. Each of them provides valuable attributes their teammates don't, as evidenced on Wednesday by Looney's early presence settling the Dubs down on both ends and Payton's ultra-disruptive defense sparking a second quarter run that never seemed to end.

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Kuminga struggled against the Blazers, often forcing the issue as an individual scorer and drawing Kerr's ire with multiple miscommunications defensively. The 22-year-old only seemed interested in running the floor at times when he was the one receiving an outlet pass, too. Meanwhile, Wiggins' confidence was invisible in the first half after missing his first few shots and losing multiple one-on-one battles defensively.

But Kuminga and Wiggins are this team's peak personified, the kind of talented, athletic, versatile wings every good team needs in the modern NBA. They ultimately proved it, with Wiggins' late second-quarter scoring splurge igniting his confidence for the game's remainder and Kuminga finally finding comfort as a halfcourt finisher along the baseline and more composed transition pusher.

It was clear that Hield, Melton, and Anderson were solid additions for the Warriors from the moment they were acquired in July. Don't forget what didn't happen over the summer, though. Golden State's most hopeful offseason plan was to bring in both Paul George and Lauri Markkanen, and Mike Dunleavy Jr. kept making serious calls on the latter weeks after George committed to the Philadelphia 76ers.

This team wasn't initially constructed to go 12-deep. The expectation was that at least two of Kuminga, Podziemski, Moody and Wiggins would be moved for a bonafide secondary star behind Curry, with Looney or Payton likely included in any trade to match salaries.

One laugher of a win over what might be the NBA's worst team doesn't change Golden State's need for roster consolidation, let alone more high-end talent. The on-court continuity and chemistry the Dubs always relied on while winning four championships will be impossible to come by this season without certain player combinations and full five-man units getting enough in-game reps to develop it.

Kerr understands that reality. He's never wanted to play more than a 10-man rotation and was dead set against it until less than 48 hours before the regular season began.

“Two days ago I was thinking, ‘Well, maybe I’ll just play 10 and I’ll just have to tell two of these guys that they’re gonna sit,'” he said. “I couldn’t justify that because they’ve all played really well in camp.”

The Warriors are bound to split their roster surplus at some point this season but don't count on it happening soon. A sizable number of players across the league won't be trade eligible until December 15th, and Dunleavy will only pull the trigger on a deal that sacrifices future for the present if it nets Golden State a second star—and there's no telling who that could be leading up to the February 5th trade deadline.

For now, embrace the chaos of a 12-man rotation. Kerr, clearly, believes the Warriors have no other choice, and his players definitely didn't make finding one any easier in Portland.