The Golden State Warriors weren’t able to defend their 2022 NBA championship, falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in a hard-fought series in the Western Conference semifinals. Many believe the root of the struggles this season was a preseason punch by team leader Draymond Green to the face of then-rising guard Jordan Poole.
That was something the team never seemed to overcome, but according to head coach Steve Kerr that wasn’t the biggest reason for the team’s failure.
While appearing on “The Draymond Green Show” following Sunday’s Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Kerr talked about what he believes ultimately led to the Warriors’ demise in 2022-23.
Kerr Credited Miami’s Togetherness While Taking Subtle Jab At His Younger Players
After the Heat lost Game 1 on Thursday, they didn’t sulk or let it hang over, and that’s where the term “Heat Culture” was dubbed.
That had Kerr speaking pretty highly of the players who didn’t play well in Game 1 but were locked in for Game 2 no matter how many minutes they saw on the floor. Kerr says that resilience played a huge role in why they won Game 2 and stole home court advantage heading back to Miami.
“None of those guys on Miami are sitting there saying ‘Well, I didn’t play’ or ‘Man, they put in so-and-so.’ They’re just all about winning,” he said. “And you know this from our groups that we’ve had, when you have that championship mentality every guy’s bought in. Every guy’s just trying to win. Nobody cares about any of that stuff. You don’t go into the locker room saying well, I should’ve played more. You just want to win.”
“And that’s the beauty of finding that magic when you have a championship team, is that everybody’s bought in and it makes the decisions for the coach really simple,” Kerr added. “You just go with your gut and go with whoever is playing well.”
Kerr, the head coach of four championship teams with the Warriors, also won five championships as a player with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs. He’s seen it from both ends of the spectrum, as a player first and now as a coach.
Steve Kerr Takes Shots at His Young Players: Kuminga Confused
Kerr’s remarks seemed to be aimed at young players like Jonathan Kuminga. Kuminga, the freakishly athletic wing, didn’t see much playing time during the playoffs. In fact, he even voiced his frustration in an emotional interview with C.J. Holmes of The San Francisco Chronicle.
“It’s tough going through this season and being in the game most of the time and then things just flip out of nowhere without you knowing what’s going on.” Kuminga told Holmes.
Kuminga even talked about how hard it was to lock in when your playing time is so choppy after being steady most of the season. During the season JK averaged 21 minutes while scoring just about ten points and grabbing four rebounds per game. That changed drastically in the playoffs to roughly six minutes and just barely two points per game.
Don’t tell that to Kerr, who coaches with the old-school, Lute Olsen, Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich approach of players earn minutes or they don’t play.
Moses Moody Seemed To Buy In, So Kuminga Really Has No Excuse
Just like Kuminga, third-year guard Moses Moody didn’t see a lot of playing time many nights during the season. But when his number was called in the playoffs, he was more than ready, as the former Arkansas Razorbacks star averaged 14 solid minutes per game.
While Moody only scored six points per game, he made timely shots and played stellar defense. His 53/59/91 shooting splits are indicative as to how locked in he was when called on, which earned him some stripes in and around the organization as a core piece of their future.
Kuminga just needs to mature. He’s still only 20 years old, and he knows he can give the Warriors some much-needed pop from an athleticism and physicality standpoint. But he first must prove it in practice and know what he has to do when he’s in the game. Has to earn the trust of the coach and his teammates in the playoffs, where things happen much faster and there isn’t a lot of time to get a player up to speed.
