Depth has been the key to the Golden State Warriors’ hot start.

The Warriors are 7-1 and fresh off an upset victory over the defending champion Boston Celtics. This has come with the full roster contributing, as the team is consistently playing 11 players a night and have even reached 13 on some occassions.

While this has been very effective, Tim Bontemps of ESPN reported that the team knows this isn’t a sustainable approach but that it can help the aging roster manage the regular season schedule and potentially return to contention in the Western Conference.

“Privately, the Warriors admit they know they can’t play this way forever,” Bontemps wrote. “But what’s proving true is that this strategy can help through the grind of the 82-game regular season and set up Golden State to be a factor in the West.”

Star guard Stephen Curry acknowledged that the grind of the season forces rotations to “get smaller,” per Bontemps, but the diverse usage has certainly helped him remain at the top of his game. Curry is averaging 21.2 points, seven assists and 5.2 rebounds through five games while playing 27.6 minutes per game.

Curry has only played less than 30 minutes per game in one season during his NBA career and that number will likely increase as the season continues. However, the lesser usage should help the 36-year-old remain fresh as the season goes on.

This will be crucial for a Warriors team that fell in the Play-In tournament in 2023-24. The franchise has been in that round in the two seasons following its 2021-22 NBA Championship, and avoiding it could help the team go on a potential run in the postseason.

Golden State currently sits in a three-way tie for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. While it is very early, it’s still a good sign for a team that may have some more success left in the tank.