SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 8: Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson (11) heads off the court next to Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr during their game against the Los Angeles Clippers in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
When someone says they’re “standing on business,” it means that their walk is aligned with their talk and they are getting things done. It also means that they’re sticking to their beliefs and principles and will never waver or fold on them.
When it comes to his belief that the dynastic core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green is still good enough to lead his Golden State Warriors to a fifth championship in seven years, coach Steve Kerr is standing on business.
It doesn’t matter that the team is 9-11 after blowing leads of 24 and 22 points in two losses last week. It doesn’t matter that other teams are younger and more athletic and that the league has caught up with the Warriors’ style of play. The rippling noise about benching veterans, or trading them, to make room for younger players is irrelevant. Kerr is rolling with his core, no matter what.
“We won a championship a year and a half ago. The guys who are going to drive us to win a title or not, we know who they are,” Kerr said last week, listing the names of Curry, Thompson and Green along with Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney.
“This season is about winning a championship. That means for me, I’m going to lean into our starters. I’m going to lean into our key guys and I’m going to give them all the space they need to find their rhythm, to establish who they are and once that happens, the roles are much easier to play for the young guys.”
In many ways, Kerr owes the core this much grace. Curry, Thompson, and Green earned this cachet. The trio is the foundation that won four titles in 10 years for Kerr and propelled him into all-time great coach conversations. Why wouldn’t he stick with the players that got him there?
However, Kerr’s insistence on leaning into the core and other key vets is a big reason the Warriors are two games under .500 and struggling,
Curry is still playing at an MVP level, but Thompson has been showing signs of regression and Green has been out of the lineup more than he has been in it. Wiggins and Looney also have struggled. Yet, Kerr still gives them the majority of minutes and his investment and trust.
There are reasons he’s not totally wrong.
It’s Still Too Early To Panic
After losing in Sacramento after leading by 24, Kerr proclaimed that the team wasn’t in a freefall. As absurd as it sounded in the moment, it’s true. It’s December, not April. There’s a lot of basketball to be played. The Warriors can turn things around.
What’s hurting them is their proclivity for committing a copious amount of turnovers, defensive breakdowns and their inability to consistently break the paint. These are all fixable flaws. Green’s presence on the floor fixes most of the defensive woes.
The Warriors have always been a turnover-prone team. The difference now is the margin of error is too small for them to commit 15-to-20 turnovers per game. They have it in them to take care of the ball. In the victory over the Clippers at Chase, Golden State committed only seven turnovers. If they can keep it under 15, it’ll help tremendously.
In Defense Of Klay
Thompson has been chasing the ghosts of his prime ever since returning from his catastrophic Achilles and ACL injuries. He wants ‘Game 6 Klay” back as much as the fans do and there also is the matter of his expiring contract.
Thompson wants that old thing back and the money that will come with it. The problem is pursuing those aspirations hurts the team more than it helps. Since he’s on an expiring deal, trading Thompson at the deadline is practical. If not trading him, then reducing his role is the idea.
There’s a belief that Kerr should have “The Talk” with Thompson. The same talk he had with Andre Iguodala about coming off the bench. Again, the belief is understandable, but Kerr is sticking by Thompson for good reason.
It’s not only about coddling Thompson’s ego. It’s about Thompson still being important to the system and it makes no sense to trade him or prematurely bench him because of his funk.
Despite not being what he once was, Thompson is still a floor spacer and commands the same defensive attention that he did at his best. The Warriors’ spacing is compromised in the starting lineup at times since Green and Looney aren’t scorers and Wiggins doesn’t garner enough attention to keep defenses honest.
Moody has been making serious strides and is developing into a solid role player. However, he doesn’t command the same defensive attention that Thompson still does. For the Warriors, space is vital and Thompson provides that.
During the last five games, Thompson is averaging 20 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game on 42.1 percent shooting. He’s also increasing his effort defensively and sacrificing some of his own shots to set up others.
The Kids Are Alright, Steve!
While Kerr has that unwavering belief in his core and vets, he cannot afford to underutilize his younger players such as Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, and Brandin Podziemski.
Moody and Podziemski in particular have shown more than just potential. In their minutes, they’ve shown that they fit this team.
In his first 13 games, Podziemski is averaging 6.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in his limited minutes. The rookie wing has been a hit with the team not only with his impact off the bench but with his willingness to absorb and learn all he can. Green in particular has been impressed with the 20-year-old’s poise.
Moody is another player putting pressure on the incumbents. In the loss at Sacramento, he scored 11 points within seven minutes and made all four of his shots before being inexplicably pulled for Wiggins. As a starter against the Clippers on Saturday, he made six of 10 shots.
The Warriors would be better if Kerr infuses the core with his young players, particularly Podziemski and Moody.
Granted, assembling the best lineups is a complex exercise, especially when a team has as much depth as the Warriors. Kerr might need to poach minutes from a variety of players to find more time for these two players. They need to be on the floor 20 minutes, at least.
With the core, Kerr is standing on business no matter what. He will always support these guys, and they earned that trust in years and in gold. Whether this season ends with another title depends on how he adapts to a changing league and learns to trust the youth on his roster.
Originally published at Jannelle Moore