SAN FRANCISCO — Neither Steph Curry nor Draymond Green will play in the Warriors’ Sunday night preseason matchup against the Detroit Pistons, paving the way for more opportunities down Golden State’s roster.
“We’ve got a deep team, and this will open up a lot of minutes,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “Excited to see them all play.”
The Warriors planned a rest night for both Curry and Green. But Curry’s jammed right index finger from Friday night’s Kings game made the decision to rest him even more obvious. The x-rays on Curry’s finger came back negative and there is little concern about the severity of the injury.
Without their two best players, the Warriors are starting Brandin Podziemski, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
Kerr considered starting Buddy Hield, and said the sharpshooter will likely be on the floor when Curry sits during the regular season. But he opted to see how the young core of Moody, Kuminga, Jackson-Davis and Podziemski all look together.
“Melton really connects the game well for others,” Kerr said. “And I want to see all of our young guys. I want to see them take the next step, play well together, playing for each other.”
Golden State won its first three preseason games — the opener in Hawaii against the Clippers and then a pair of wins against Sacramento. Moody has had a strong preseason, as has Kuminga and Melton, the new guard. But Andrew Wiggins fell ill during training camp and has yet to appear in an exhibition game, slowing the team’s ability to holistically assess their status at full-strength.
“We’re nowhere near where we need to be, but it’s okay,” Kerr said. “We’re putting in a lot of good work, and we’ll get there.”