The Houston Rockets, who are ranked 11th in the Western Conference, are only one game ahead of the Golden State Warriors, who are in a race to advance to the play-in tournament. With each new game, the Rockets have been closing in on the Dubs and have won ten straight.

The match between the two teams on Thursday, April 4th, will undoubtedly decide who gets the final play-in spot. The Warriors have won four titles in the last ten years, which speaks much about their expertise and maturity in high-stakes games. If the Warriors win the championship, Steve Kerr will have to adjust his rotations.

Let’s take a look at which players could get squeezed out of the lineup.

5. Jonathan Kuminga
Jonathan Kuminga has been a polarizing figure in Warriors circles. Those who love him, absolutely love him.
And those who don’t like him, don’t like him at all. Kuminga was the target of trade speculations and began his career in Steve Kerr’s doghouse. Due of Kerr’s erratic playing time, Kuminga lost faith in him.

After being added to the starting lineup, Kuminga showed that he might be a major player for the Dubs. Nonetheless, he is still a raw talent with a low basketball IQ.

At times, Kuminga seems to forget that Stephen Curry is a member of the team and fails to pass him the ball when it matters most. Because of his patchy long-range shooting, he also doesn’t put much pressure on the defense when he plays as a spacer.

Kuminga’s warts could cause Kerr to reduce his minutes in the postseason, yet again, which would be a tremendous mistake, due to his ability to create instant offense

5 Warriors who could get axed from Steve Kerr’s postseason rotation

4. Brandin Podziemski

Brandin Podziemski has been a steal of a draft pick for the Dubs. He’s been able to step in and play pivotal minutes and he’s been a reliable outside shooter, as he’s made 37.1 percent of his threes.

At the glass, he has averaged 5.8 rebounds, therefore he has also been strong. His processing still needs to catch up before he can make a postseason contribution, though.

He frequently passes the ball late and has wasted multiple opportunities to get the ball to Steph Curry in Golden State’s win over the Orlando Magic. He also appears to shoot a lot of layups, which is to be expected for a high percentage shot.

Additionally, he frequently holds onto the ball for longer than is appropriate, which costs possessions toward the conclusion of the shot clock. In either case, Podz isn’t ready to be a regular rotation player in high-stakes games like the playoffs. The postseason usually results in shortened lineups.

3. Gary Payton II

The victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday demonstrated once more how crucial Gary Payton II is as Draymond Green’s insurance policy. Steve Kerr had to switch to GP2 when Green was expelled from the game after just four minutes of play for shouting at the referees.

And Payton delivered, scoring a game-high 10 points on a flawless 5-for-5 shooting clip and making a huge impact on defense. He not only had three steals but also a block that was worth highlighting.