Steve Kerr probably can't treat himself and his squad to a 12-man rotation all season long – that's too many mouths to feed every night, often too little time for a seasoned veteran to get into full rhythm , and too many chances for a back-end guy to deliver a crapshoot that ruins an exciting game.

Kerr will eventually whittle it down to nine or 10 players in the main rotation. We saw the foundation of this at the end of the first half on Wednesday, when Kerr finished with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Buddy Hield – before subbing in Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II for additional defense. Add Jonathan Kuminga, De'Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson and it makes for a logical 10-man finisher for Kerr, depending on impending injuries or other variables.

But it's easy to see why Kerr went so far in Portland's season-opening 139-104 win — and why he plans to keep going as long as it works. He actually has 12 very solid players who seem to fit together well in most setups. And it would definitely be difficult to accept (or explain) complete banking for, say, Moses Moody, Kevon Looney, GP2 or Kyle Anderson.

“Two days ago I thought maybe I'll just play 10 and then I'll just have to tell two of these guys to sit,” Kerr told reporters after the game. “And I couldn’t justify that. … This is a team that is as strong as I have ever coached, and we have to embrace it.”

It's not just about hurt feelings, although Kerr always has to take the mood in the locker room into account. It's simply clear that playing at full strength early this season could be of great benefit to the Warriors now and later in the season – as long as Kerr can keep all the plates in the air at once, or until injuries and periods of weakness begin, to seal the deal, of course.

Let's take a look at some of the short- and long-term consequences of the 12-man plan: