Steve Kerr: Patrick McCaw is the backup shooting guard

After the Golden State Warriors’ game against the San Antonio Spurs, coach Steve Kerr confirmed that Patrick McCaw would be the backup shooting guard in his rotation going forwards.

The Warriors signed veteran Nick Young for the full midlevel exception this season, and so far this season, he and McCaw had battled for backup minutes. Despite Nick Young’s surprising game against Houston in the season opener, where he scored 23 points, he has struggled to contribute. Mainly, his defense has been disastrous: his conditioning and effort have not been good enough for a championship-level team.

McCaw has played inconsistently in inconsistent minutes so far, but he’s by far the superior defender. Offensively, he needs to become a more important part of the offense: in 101 minutes so far this season, he’s only shot 23 times and recorded only nine assists.

McCaw is younger, has more room to improve, and is already familiar with the Warriors’ system. He’s hopefully the long-term replacement for Andre Iguodala, a glue guy who can do a little bit of everything. He’s only 22 years old!

This probably isn’t the end of the Nick Young experiment, but it’s not a good sign for Young. His defensive revival under Luke Walton last year has not carried over at all. He can definitely shoot, but if that’s all he has to offer, he’s going to struggle to get minutes beyond garbage time.

If the Warriors had not signed Young for the full midlevel, they would have been able to sign Jordan Bell to a three-year rookie contract this summer instead of a two-year contract. Thus, the Young signing may be one the team may regret in the future.

For McCaw to keep his spot in the rotation, he’ll have to be more aggressive offensively and get some more threes up. Playing with the Warriors’ stars will only make his life easier, but at some point he’s got to have the confidence to make small plays himself.