Warriors Coach Shuts Down Speculation About His Potential Starting Lineup

The Golden State Warriors are entering next season without the usual hype from the past five years. After superstar Kevin Durant left for the Brooklyn Nets, the Warriors acquired point guard D’Angelo Russell in an attempt to beef up the roster.

That left many NBA fans and analysts wondering about the Warriors’ strategy, considering Russell, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson are all guards.

However, head coach Steve Kerr shut down all insecurities about his potential starting lineup, insisting that all three could play together once Thompson recovers from his ACL injury.

Steve Kerr Envisions Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, D’Angelo Russell In Starting Lineup https://t.co/woeCfpfCWy

— RealGM (@RealGM) August 4, 2019

“First, just having a guy who can get you 20 points a night — especially with Klay out for most of the regular season — that’s a huge luxury. The biggest thing will be playing on and off the ball. D’Angelo is a great pick-and-roll player, obviously so is Steph, they’re going to both start in the backcourt together,” said Kerr.

There were some rumors that the Warriors could try and flip Russell to another team, but they were quickly shut down by a report saying the Warriors were fully intent on having a big three in their starting lineup, where Russell can learn from Thompson and Curry once the Dubs’ pair reunites.

Current 2021-22 season salaries
-Steph Curry: $45.7 million
-Klay Thompson: $37.9 million
-D’Angelo Russell: $30.0 million
-Draymond Green: $24.0 million
Total: $137.6 million for four players

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) August 3, 2019

Of course, we won’t see this starting lineup in action until at least the second half of next season, as Thompson is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

The reality is, the NBA has become quite position-less in recent years, so Kerr starting three similar players isn’t that strange when you think about it.