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<\/a><\/p>\nIt hasn\u2019t escaped my attention that Kerr has had Kuminga placed in spots where he could force defenses to collapse inward, resulting in openings being created for himself or for his teammates. He was deemed worthy enough to be the focus of a play once ran for Kevin Durant and Andrew Wiggins, and one that was run quite a few times for Butler last season.<\/p>\n
Along with an emphasis on crashing the boards and tracking down rebounds, Kuminga has certainly made a case for himself as a rotation mainstay, let alone a starter (at least, situationally). But perhaps the one thing that could give Kerr pause: the fit with Butler. In 123 non-garbage-time minutes last season of the Butler-Kuminga pairing, the Warriors were outscored by nearly five points per 100 possessions<\/a>; in 36 minutes of the Butler-Kuminga-Green trio, the Warriors were blitzed by 24 points per 100 possessions<\/a>.<\/p>\n But all the data above could be set aside by one simple necessity: someone who would need to be Luka Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s primary defender, a role that Moody was set to take and a role that perhaps only Kuminga can shoulder<\/a> in Moody\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n If Kerr were to go with a \u201ctraditional\u201d five (in the sense that he would be putting someone with the size to suit that position) he would have two options at his disposal: Al Horford or Quinten Post, both non-traditional in the sense that they both space the floor with their outside shooting ability.<\/p>\n Horford would be the obvious choice over Post due to his experience and defensive pedigree, one that allows him to be much more versatile on that end of the floor over the second-year Dutch center. Much has been said (and witnessed) about Horford\u2019s ability to play a variety of coverages, but perhaps the most intriguing aspect of his defense is allowing Green to slot into a more adventurous defensive role at the four, with Horford playing the role of rim protector, help defender, and last line of defense.<\/p>\n A center spacing the floor is a luxury Curry and Kerr haven\u2019t had much of during their decade-long collaboration. Horford opens the playbook further and expands Kerr\u2019s tactical repertoire. Opponents will not only have to worry about the possibility of Curry coming off of one or multiple screens \u2014 they will have to worry about whether Horford chooses to dive toward the rim:<\/p>\n Or chooses to stay put in pick-and-pop situations:<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n