What Kerr stressed to Warriors’ youngsters about playing with Steph originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
In his huge fourth quarter to lift the Warriors past the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night at Target Center, Steph Curry reminded the world that he’s, well, Steph Curry.
The Golden State star guard had 11 consecutive points for Golden State in the final minutes — capped by a dagger 3-pointer set up by some vintage Warriors ball movement.
In his postgame press conference, coach Steve Kerr highlighted that specific possession as a teaching moment for the Warriors’ developing ensemble.
“That’s what we’re trying to impart on our young players,” Kerr told reporters. “We have Steph Curry on our team. So, pass the ball. Move the ball. And if Steph gets off it early, because he’s gained an advantage, now the defense is scrambling.
“This is how we’ve played for 10 years, and it’s important for our young players to understand — we don’t need contested 17-footers with 12 [seconds] on the shot clock. That’s a bad shot. I talked to our guys about that during several timeouts. It’s something we have to recognize and get better with.”
Kerr wasn’t done reiterating this concept, clearly intending to send a message to his team that could fix their ongoing offensive struggles.
“When you have Steph Curry on your team, you pass the ball,” Kerr continued. “Because if you pass it two or three times, the defense is scrambling. All hell breaks loose.
“So it’s a choice: we can either do that and win games, or we can shoot a whole bunch of 15-foot contested shots in the middle of the shot clock and be a lousy NBA team. It’s up to us, and we are hammering that point home with our team.”
When Kerr puts it like that, it sounds like a pretty easy choice to make.
Nevertheless, when asked about that comment from his coach, Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski offered an interesting reply.
“I don’t really think. I just play,” Podziemski asserted. “When I’m out there, if I’m open — I shoot it. If not — make a play. I don’t really think too much into — I know we have Steph Curry on the court. If he’s open, I’m going to throw the ball to him. I don’t really look too deep into those messages.”
So even though the Warriors pulled out a much-needed win on Saturday night, perhaps that theme of messaging could be a major storyline going forward for Golden State.
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