Kerr’s faith to be tested by obvious lineup changes amid the absence of the Star Warriors duo

The Golden State Warriors will look to win their 15th straight game against the Houston Rockets at the Chase Center on Thursday night, but more importantly, they are looking to snap an increasingly troubling five-game losing streak.

As if the challenge against the second-ranked team in the Western Conference wasn’t already tough enough, it will now be a much tougher task after the Warriors confirmed that star duo Stephen Curry and Draymond Green will miss Thursday’s game.

Green missed Tuesday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena with a calf problem, while Curry will be out with a lingering knee concern after missing last week’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It’s not an ideal time for Golden State to be without both parts of the big duo for the first time this season, with a third starter, Andrew Wiggins, also questionable as the 2022 All-Star has ankle issues.

Curry and Green’s absence will likely leave a young and inexperienced starting lineup, with 22-year-old Jonathan Kuminga and 21-year-old Brandin Podziemski already starting on Tuesday. The latter is expected to slide into Curry’s vacant role, which means that a starting spot is again up for grabs.

Without Curry, the Warriors will certainly need more shooting on the floor, likely eliminating Gary Payton II from that discussion. That leaves three potential options – Buddy Hield, Moses Moody and Lindy Waters III.

Hield is the leading scorer and 3-point shooter of that trio, but the 31-year-old’s form has dipped in recent weeks, not to mention starting just one game this season. Waters started seven straight games immediately following De’Anthony Melton’s season-ending knee injury, but failed to impress and was left out of the rotation entirely against the Nuggets.

Based on recent form, Moody is the most obvious choice after being on fire in the second half on Tuesday. The fourth-year wing had 13 points in an eight-minute span to give Golden State momentum, only to be outscored in the final six minutes.

Kerr’s faith will be tested by this predicament – ​​does he really want to start three players 22 or under, especially when the Warriors have put themselves in such a hole in recent games? The head coach’s treatment of Moody has been a remarkable story over the past few years, with Thursday’s game another key marker as Kerr sees the former 14th overall pick in the pecking order.