Moses Moody and Will Richard will join Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green in the starting lineup on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs.
Richard will be making his second career start. Moody will be making his third start of the year.
Jonathan Kuminga, who had started all 12 games, will come off the bench.
Either Brandin Podziemski or Quinten Post had started every game that Curry had appeared in. They both will also come off the bench.
It’s a fascinating decision to go with a small-ball lineup when going up against 7’4″ superstar Victor Wembanyama.
Richard and Moody should allow for a switch-heavy defensive scheme, and on offense they both are hot from three-point range, shooting 43.8 and 43.3 percent, respectively.
The change comes after Green called out his teammates when asked what’s the biggest difference between the team’s play down the stretch last season and the slow start this season.
“I think everybody was committed to winning and doing that any way possible. Right now, it doesn’t feel that way.”
Green continued: “I think everyone has a personal agenda in this league. But you have to make the personal agenda work in the team confines. If it doesn’t work, you kinda got to get rid of your agenda. Or, eventually the agenda is the cause of someone getting moved.”
ESPN’s Anthony Slater wrote the following about Green’s quote:
“When the term ‘agenda’ enters the mix, the attention tends to shift toward two of the Warriors’ youngest core members who have been outspoken about their desire for more — third-year guard Brandin Podziemski and fifth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga.”
The Warriors have lost five of their last seven games, including blowout setbacks against Denver and Oklahoma City.
Kuminga was having one of the best stretches of his career through nine games, but he’s struggled over the last three.
Podziemski hasn’t take a step forward in his third season, though his play hasn’t been all that disappointing.
Moody’s inclusion in the starting lineup isn’t that surprising. He started 34 games last year and had been trending up in recent games.
It’s Richard’s inclusion that’s a shock. The 56th pick of the draft has exceeded all expectations en route to averaging 10.0 points on 58.6 percent shooting.
The 8-2 Spurs will start De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes and Wembanyama. They are 5-0 at home. The Warriors are 1-5 on the road.
