The Warriors snapped their three-game losing streak with a dominant 134-117 win against the Jazz tonight. Despite a severely depleted frontcourt, the Warriors came away with a win after Stephen Curry led the team in scoring with 31 points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and shot 12-of-24 from the floor (50%).
Following the game, Stephen Curry spoke to the media about the impact of a depleted backcourt and its aftermath on the franchise. He addressed the subject of Jonathan Kuminga and how the Warriors are ensuring that he doesn’t lose touch with the momentum he’s been in and the direction in which the franchise is moving as a single unit.
“That’s a natural process, just watching film, being around for practice, understanding the conversations that we’re having. Making sure that he, like everybody else who misses time, like you have your rehab, you have all the stuff that you’re trying to do to get back on the floor, but you can’t lose a feel for what we’re trying to do.”
“Because he’ll be held to that same standard when he comes back. So, um, we’ve all missed time at certain points, and you understand how to balance that. It’s not easy, rehab s**ks. It’s monotonous, it’s draining because you’re not, you know, doing what you love to do, and that’s to be out there and play. So, try to keep everything light around the locker room,” said Curry on Kuminga.
It is easy for Kuminga to get distracted in recovery and by the outside noise. Curry essentially expects that he is able to avoid those and remain locked in to the team’s vision despite being sidelined.
The Warriors did not have Draymond Green tonight, as well who was sidelined due to a right ankle sprain. Consequently, Gary Payton II was promoted to the starter role for the first time this season. He dropped a career-high eight assists to go with his nine points and six rebounds in this win tonight.
Curry spoke about the importance of having a player like Gary Payton II on the bench to step up in such situations. He also tipped his hat to Payton for having a unique style that troubles defenses.
“Yeah, I mean me and GP have such a great chemistry because he’s very unique player in the sense of who the opposing team decides to match up against him and then you know our pick and roll options, off ball actions, we just kind of know where where each other is and then when he’s shooting the ball when he gets those open looks that always helps.”
“So, nobody can do what Draymond does, but you know, GP does it his own way with his uh athletic ability to get downhill, you know, DHOs, set good screens, and make defenses pay that way,” said Curry on Payton filling in Draymond Green’s shoes tonight.
While Gary Payton II may not be a long-term replacement for Green in the starting lineup, he certainly used his veteran experience to prove his value to the team today. Otherwise, he has been playing limited minutes this season and has averaged 3.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists over 18 games this season.
Early in the game, the Warriors felt the absence of their frontcourt as the Jazz had a stellar start that eventually caused head coach Steve Kerr to lose his patience and yell at the whole team on the sidelines. Eventually, they managed a comeback against a lottery team like the Jazz, who are 5-12 for the season after tonight.
But it will not be as easy in their next game when they face the fourth seed in the Western Conference, the Rockets in their next game on Wednesday night. Hopefully, Draymond Green will be back for them in that fixture.
When the Warriors return to full strength, they want to use this momentum and remain focused on their goal after looking to improve the 10-9 start to the regular season. For that to happen, they need Kuminga to be fully focused on pushing his momentum and not get derailed and fall behind in the direction in which the team is headed.
