In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors are one game behind the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers as the 10th seed.Head coach Steve Kerr has acknowledged that he may choose to rest some players when the team plays the Utah Jazz on Sunday because they have a difficult play-in tournament run ahead of them.
Kerr responded, “Oh hell yeah,” when asked if he would think about resting guys on Sunday. “You would rather be indoors. However, it appears that we are up against quite the challenge. You must compete in two play-in games, and if you are successful in both, you must compete in a playoff game forty-eight hours later. I’m rather interested in knowing if we can prepare for next week.”
It is not a given that the Warriors will lose their matchup with Utah if players are rested. This season, Will Hardy’s team has shown fluctuation. They are clearly out of the playoff picture as they now rank 12th in the West. That does, however, lessen the likelihood that Golden State will prevail, supposing Utah fields a complete squad.
It is true that earning the eighth seed makes the postseason more straightforward. A team that places ninth or tenth is guaranteed two play-in games, which are both win-or-go-home affairs.
The Warriors’ roster is getting older. The back nine of their careers is home to all of their top players. Keeping them healthy is probably Kerr’s top priority instead of trying to catch up to the Lakers.
Furthermore, the Warriors have enough big-game experience to feel confident about navigating the pressures of win-or-go-home situations. They will have a slight advantage over their opponents in both rounds of the play-in tournament because of their previous successes in big moments.
Still, Golden State came into the season with championship aspirations. If it fails to make the playoffs, the season will be deemed a failure. The front office will likely look to The Warriors core has a lot riding on the next week of basketball.
It will be interesting to see whether Kerr resting his players pays dividends or costs them a chance to make the playoffs. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait too long to find out.
