A disappointed Steve Kerr spoke to the media after the Warriors‘ heartbreaking 115-113 loss to the Lakers on Christmas Day. Kerr admitted that the Warriors have lost their way since their strong start to the season. However, Kerr added that he believes in his team, not just as players, but as individuals, to turn things around and get through this rough patch right now.
“It’s disappointing. We’ve lost some confidence. You can feel it. We had a great vibe early in the season and we’re going through it right now. But I love our guys, high-character guys. They care about the game, they care about each other. I believe in them, I believe we’re going to get this thing turned around. This is all a part of it, part of the season, part of life.”
Kerr attributed some of this loss in confidence to their rotation, with several players playing limited minutes which has led to a degree of inconsistency from all their players. He did add that he has several players that he would like to play, and each game calls for a different group of players and minute allocations but vowed to find a way to adapt.
“In fairness to our guys, we’ve been all over the map this year rotation-wise. We’ve had a million different starting lineups. Guys are in and out of certain roles and rotations. I’m well aware of that and it’s hard as a player to not know how many minutes you’re going to get.”
“The reality is we’re searching. We’ve lost 11 of 14 games, and I don’t feel like this is a roster where I say ‘Alright, these are our top eight guys’. Our roster is really deep and we’ve got a lot of guys who can play.”
“Every game calls for something different. That’s the issue. We’ve got certain games where we need more shooting, certain games where we need more defense. It’s been difficult to develop consistent rotations and lineup combos. That has not been easy for the guys. But we’ll keep plugging them in.”
Kerr has tried out several different lineups this season and slotted in different players during different games. Aside from Stephen Curry, and to a certain extent, Draymond Green, practically no player on the Warriors is guaranteed a starting spot or a certain amount of minutes on any given night.
Stephen Curry Optimistic About Warriors Turnaround
Speaking after the game, Stephen Curry shared some words of optimism about the Warriors. He noted that he still believes in the team, and fully expects them to be able to change things going forward. While the Warriors are in a rut right now, they just have to keep on believing and having a strong mentality until they are able to improve and get things going again.
“I’m sure everybody has a different answer. I still have hope, faith, and confidence that we can figure it out. That’s how I’m built. I feel like you go out there and talk about it.”
“But how you execute, show up on a nightly basis, the effort we’re giving, considering what our record has been the last stretch as a team is desperate. We’re trying to figure it out. It just hasn’t gone our way yet. Till things change, you have to keep that mentality.”
Curry had a great game, with 38 points (14-24 FG), six assists, and one rebound. He hit an incredible clutch shot to tie the game but was undone by Austin Reaves’ game-winner.
While the Warriors have been poor during their last 15 games, going 4-11 during that stretch, very little of it has been Stephen Curry’s fault. Of course, he has had poor games, most notably when he scored just two points against the Grizzlies last week. But overall, he has been their strongest performer by some distance.
For the season, Stephen Curry is averaging 21.8 points, 6.6 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks while shooting 43.5% from the field, 40.3% from deep, and 92.1% from the free-throw line. While these numbers aren’t as strong as what Curry was putting up in his prime, it is still an excellent level of production.
The Warriors must try and figure out what exactly they’re doing wrong. This might involve Steve Kerr reducing his rotation down to a set of players. Not being able to play regular minutes on a nightly basis with a core group of players hurts the Warriors’ ability to create any kind of consistency.
And as we have seen from almost every NBA champion in recent memory, consistency is key to winning a championship. The addition of Dennis Schroder to the roster only complicates matters even more. And given that the Warriors are one of the teams linked with Jimmy Butler, who is rumored to be unhappy in Miami, their roster could change even more.
It is time for Steve Kerr to buckle down and figure out a solid rotation group, as not doing so has been costly for the Warriors.
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