LOS ANGELES — With Draymond Green out and looking for a spark off a 10-13 record, the Warriors are making seismic starting lineup changes starting against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
Rookie Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga, with a struggling Andrew Wiggins moving to the bench. The duo will start alongside Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney. Coach Steve Kerr has said he will look to make starting five adjustments as the traditional group is a total minus-23 in 11 games played together.
Though from the backcourt, Podziemski brings the needed ball handling that the Warriors lose with Green out due to suspension indefinitely. He will make his first NBA start and Kuminga his second start of the season. Wiggins will come off the bench in the regular season for the first time in his career, he came off the bench against the Sacramento Kings after missing nearly two months for an undisclosed reason.
The rookie has quickly emerged as one of the Warriors’ better ball handlers and playmakers averaging 2.4 assists per game in 19.7 minutes per game. He’s also a threat to score this team has lacked outside of Curry, shooting 44.2% on 2.5 3s per game. He scored 20 points in the Warriors’ loss to Phoenix on Tuesday, 12 against Oklahoma City and 12 against the Clippers earlier this month.
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Podziemski, 20, is strong on the glass for his 6-foot-3 size, averaging 4.8 rebounds per game. He’s also been active on defense and shown a knack for sniffing out opposing teams’ plays despite having played just 17 NBA games.
Over the Warriors last three games, Kuminga has emerged as a potent scorer at the rim. He’s averaging 17.7 points per game over his last three games, scoring 16 against the Suns. He had 24 points and 12 rebounds in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the start of this road trip.
Wiggins will move to the bench for the first time in his NBA career. He’s has struggled all season and is a whopping minus-101 in 21 games culminating in a three-point, 1-for-7 effort in 15 minutes against the Suns. Coach Steve Kerr benched Wiggins for Kuminga for most of the game, including crunch time along with Thompson as the bench outplayed them.
