Amid a campaign to shorten the NBA season and not overwork players, Steve Kerr finds himself in unenviable position. With a scarce lineup riddled with injuries, Kerr is pushing the rotational limits of the Golden State Warriors
to limits he hasn't done since the first championship in the Warriors dynasty. This created an interesting milestone for one of his young stars.
During the Warriors' 113-127 loss to the San Antonio Spurs
on April 1, 2026, Nate Williams
played for a total of 47 minutes. He had 18 points on a 8-of-18 shooting (a point shy of his career high) from the field with four rebounds, an assist and two steals. The statline aside, his minutes were the highest for anyone in on Wednesday's game.
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No Warriors player has played for 47 minutes in one game since Harrison Barnes
suited up for the team. Barnes logged 47 against the Denver Nuggets
on April 16, 2014. It's not only historic in Kerr's rotation where the veteran core's highest minutes are still in the 30-minute range. In an era with load management and Steve Kerr's own policy to protect his players from overwork, Williams has displayed what Dub Nation online is calling iron man like mentality.
The 27-year-old himself reinforced that steel-like mindset in his post-game remarks. "I can do things that other guys are not willing to do nowadays. You know, I feel like me, personally, I'm a dying breed in the NBA. You know, guys are not tough no more. It's a lot of soft guys around around the league."
The 'soft' argument aside, Williams' extensive minutes were born out of necessity more than design. If Kerr had the means, he wouldn't have any player on the floor for an entire game with just the halftime pause.
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In this lopsided but competitive clash, Kerr has to spread thin a skeletal rotation across four quarters. It's also forced him to do something he's not done since 2014: rely on his young core without Stephen Curry
.
Warriors' B-team force Steve Kerr to change strategy
In 2014, Stephen Curry
, Draymond Green
, and Klay Thompson
formed the young core that Steve Kerr relied on at the start of the Warriors dynasty. Klay's gone to Dallas
now but Kerr's Curry-centric system still largely depends on the veterans like Green and new acquisitions, Al Horford
and Kristaps Porzingis
.
But going against the streak-hot Spurs, Kerr had 10 active players on the injury list. Besides Jimmy Butler
and Moses Moody
's season-ending injuries, Gui Santos
, Quinten Post
, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Gary Payton II
, and De'Anthony Melton were ruled out in this game. Stephen Curry scrimmaged with the team but his availability is still up in the air.
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While facing pushback from the league office and retired NBA vets to shorten the season. Kerr went against his grain by exhausting his rotation against Victor Wembanyama
and the Spurs. Of course, it made no difference. Wemby's 41 points reinforced his MVP case. But even he played less than 30 minutes.
Williams averages around 13.3 minutes this season. His 47 minutes tonight showed a level of endurance that the Warriors need.
Steve Kerr had heavy praise for his young stars tonight, including LJ
Cryer's improved shooting and Malevy Leons
shooting with his left hand after injuring his dominant right hand. He dismissed the practice of reviewing tonight's game
instead wanting the youngsters to carry forward tonight's confidence into tomorrow's matchup against the Cavaliers. "This is about watching a lot of the young guys and giving them a chance to play, and they did a great job," Kerr said, revealing a hint of confidence for the first time since Curry's injury.
The loss pushes Golden State 2.5 games behind the Portland Trail Blazers
in the race for the ninth seed, but the focus remains on the looming return of Stephen Curry. As Kerr noted his young players' "heroic" efforts tonight, his primary goal is to ensure the roster health ahead of the play-in tournament.
