Preview: Warriors find new options at bottom of rotation
Don't you dare bench Will Richard!
The Golden State Warriors are not a great team, but gosh darn it, they may well be decent! That is, of course, if the team can figure out which of their roster options from the deep end of the bench are the most reliable.
Currently waiting for the January 15th trade window to open up on Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State has found a measure of success in their last game by switching things up on the depth chart. Now, the focus turns to another home game, this time against the injured but still dangerous Orlando Magic.
On the injury front, Al Horford remains out - though some encouraging news last week indicates that the free agent big man could make his return as soon as this weekend.
Al Horford has started to do more in practice as he continues to rehab from a sciatica issue, but he said he’s “probably a week” away from being able to participate in a game.
“I feel good,” Horford said Thursday in advance of a game against the Phoenix Suns. “Just excited to be on the court and just getting my body going again.”
GAME DETAILS
WHO: Golden State Warriors (11-15) vs Orlando Magic (16-12)
WHEN: Monday, December 22nd, 2025; 7pm PST
WATCH: NBCSBA
Ends of the bench, we summon thee!
The Warriors are in a weird spot, but it looks like the team has learned from their recent pain. Golden State needs to start winning in a big way if they hope to avoid the NBA’s Play-In tournament, and at this point all options are on the table.
After accruing three straight DNP-Coach’s decision, Will Richard was given an opportunity and he fully seized it. Richard came out on fire, hitting almost every shot he took (he finally missed one in the 4th quarter). It was exactly the sort of meaningful impact that has been frustratingly inconsistent from the bench throughout this season. He had 12 points and 5 rebounds in 12 minutes of play in the first half (ending with 20 points in his 19 total minutes), and then sent the teams into the locker room off this incredible putback. 1
One of the most compelling criticisms of any coach is if (and how) they play favorites. For Kerr and the Warriors, this means a lot of questions around his adherence to his most trusted players. This can become especially pronounced with the fringe rotation, where it’s more plausible that play style preference, or some coach’s sixth sense can nudge a player into - or out of - the deep, deep bench formaldehyde.
That’s the tricky thing about end-of-bench players: they rarely fail loudly. More often, they disappear quietly. Waiting weeks for a sliver of opportunity, knowing that one missed rotation or rushed shot could send them back to obscurity. When a player like Richard steps in and plays free instead of tight, it’s not just production, it’s trust, earned in real time.
So the player that fell out to accommodate those minutes for Richard was Buddy Hield, a player that is having the worst shooting season of his career, and doesn’t produce much outside of his shooting. Kerr, however, has been reluctant to dislodge Hield from his role, maintaining minutes under the assumption that Hield’s shot is bound to come back - and to be fair, his shooting was critical to last season’s success.
“I replaced [Hield] in the rotation with Will,” Kerr said. “I told him beforehand, I feel terrible, he had a streak of 199 games in a row, it was one of the longest streaks in the league and one of the things I love about Buddy is he’s there for you every single night.
“He’s the greatest teammate ever and just an amazing spirit and a key part of our team, and it felt terrible not to play him, but I sat Will the last five or six games and we needed to get him back out there and you can see why.
We sure did see why.
The real test, of course, is consistency. One game doesn’t fix a season, and one breakout doesn’t guarantee a rotation spot. But for a team searching for answers beyond its stars, nights like this matter. They change the questions being asked - and sometimes, that’s the first real step toward changing the outcome.
Now it’s time for the squad to build on the momentum of this one game win streak!
What makes this moment feel different is timing. The Warriors aren’t experimenting for curiosity’s sake, they’re doing it because the margin has vanished. With the West tightly packed and the Play-In looming, every rotation decision now carries postseason weight. These aren’t “let’s see what we have” minutes anymore; they’re auditions that could quietly determine whether this team is still playing meaningful basketball or just playing out the string on another precious season of Curry’s greatness.
Prediction
Don’t look too hard at the Magic’s injury report, this is going to be a challenging game. But Curry is on run right now, and with Butler and the rest of the team locked in, this feels like an incoming win. Warriors by somewhere between 5-10 points.
Straight out of tip-in. Anyone else play that game? Where you go in order and have to catch the rebound in the air and shoot before you land? Good stuff, Mr Richard. Very nicely done!
Imma like my own preview. What a gaaaaame!!!!
GO NINERS!