Steve Kerr Reveals Warriors Rotation Plan for Steph Curry, D'Angelo Russell

With Kevin Durant off in Brooklyn and Klay Thompson sidelined until at least mid-February because of an ACL tear, the Warriors need D'Angelo Russell to step up in a big way.

"I watched him a lot last year," Golden State coach Steve Kerr told Bleacher Report's Howard Beck on "The Full 48" podcast. "It's exciting to think about the offense that he can generate for us.

"We're gonna for sure stagger Steph (Curry) and D'Angelo so one of them is always on the floor generating offense. He had a phenomenal year last year and there's no reason why he can't get any better."

This means that if the Curry plays the entire first and third quarters -- like he traditionally has in prior seasons -- then Russell definitely will anchor the unit that opens the beginning of the second and fourth quarters while the two-time MVP is on the bench.

When you look at the Warriors' roster, this makes the most sense and practically is a no-brainer. The bigger question is, will the coaching staff try to keep Draymond Green on the floor with Curry at all times, or will Draymond be more aligned with Russell in the rotation?

It might be too risky for Curry and Draymond to be on the bench at the same time for long stretches. 

As for style of play ...

Russell ran 920 pick-and-rolls last year, which was the second-most in the NBA.

For comparison sake, Curry ran only 353. And the Warriors were dead last in the NBA in pick-and-roll action.

But that is going to change.

"My guess is we'll run more screen-and-roll than we have in the past," Kerr said. "You think about the number of passers who we have lost ... we've had a lot of guys who can make plays and it made a lot of sense to distribute the ball.

"I don't know a lot about our young guys and what they can do. I have to see it on the floor. I'm always going to believe as a basketball coach that the ball has to move. I just believe that's the case in the sport to generate the best shots.

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"But you also have to take the most advantage of your talent. We'll get a good look at that during camp, and there's a good chance we'll end up running more screen-and-roll because D'Angelo is really good at it.

"And Willie Cauley-Stein is really good at setting a screen and diving to the rim and catching a lob. I'd be a fool not to run more of that stuff."

While many Warriors fans have called for more pick-and-rolls in the past, Kerr always resisted. But now with this change in personnel, it sounds like many Warriors fans might finally get what they've been asking for.

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