Honestly I think if you keep building on Kuminga's confidence this season he's more impactful in the playoffs than damion lee. Floor spacers are great, but it's not like the warriors don't have floor spacers elsewhere in steph, Klay, poole, OPJ, bjelica.
What they don't have is an aggressive slasher that can go in the paint and get to the line. That should be wiggins, but you already know what it is
I don't disagree with that, which is why I've always maintained that they should trade Wiggins and fast track Kuminga into that spot, but that's not a realistic option. Wiggins is here to stay, so they've got to build around that, and you really can't have Wiggins and Kuminga on the floor for too long, as Wiggins struggles to create for himself (at the best of times), which is why Lee is out there with him to spread the floor. There's also Looney, Dray and Iggy who don't really provide any floor spacing, so adding to that with Kuminga only hinders Wiggins even more, and the functionality of the offense.
And it's not as if the Warriors won't be dealt injuries in the playoffs, especially with OPJ's and GPII's checkered history, Iggy's age, and Bjeli being unplayable against certain lineups. Lee is one of the more dependable role players in that respect. He's one of the team's best cutters and is typically active defensively. I mentioned in the game thread, him being left in to work through his struggles which culminated in hitting that three-point shot in the 4th, which essentially decided the game, will give him the confidence he needs to stay engaged and perform at a level the team needs him to going forward. Benching him during a drought and you risk the possibility of
losing him.
When Klay comes back, there probably isn't going to be a whole lot of opportunities for him, but at least he'll have that belief from Kerr when his number is called.
I don't agree with all of Kerr's rotations, and perhaps at times he trusts role players in situations more than he should, but you can't argue with the results. He gets the best out of his personnel and then some. Nearly every player that has come through since he became coach speaks about their time in GS as the best of their careers, and it's reflected out on the floor. I mean you have a look at this roster, and nobody would ever suggest it has talent to the level they're currently winning at. It's only because of culture/coaching that they can perform at this level, where everyone plays as a collective.
