Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr delivered a strong message to his young players following Stephen Curry‘s fourth-quarter heater rescued them after they had lost a 21-point lead.
Kerr hammered home his point using Curry’s last 3-pointer during his 11-point outburst in 90 seconds in the fourth quarter, which came off a crisp ball movement that was the hallmark of Golden State’s dynasty under his watch.
“That’s what we’re trying to impart on our young players,” Kerr told reporters after the Warriors’ 113-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, December 21, on the road. “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.”
Golden State’s Vintage Ball Movement
The play started with Curry giving up the ball after he was met with a double-team defense. Second-year center Trayce Jackson-Davis received Curry’s pass from the top of the key and quickly swung it to Andrew Wiggins in the corner. Before the defense arrived, Wiggins swung the ball again to Dennis Schröder, drawing Timberwolves defensive ace Jaden McDaniels away from Curry, who was left wide open.
Curry did what he does best.
The Warriors’ lead ballooned to a comfortable 107-96 cushion with 2:09 left.
“This is how we’ve played for 10 years,” Kerr continued,” 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.”
Curry was back at his best after the worst game of his career.
The 36-year-old Warriors superstar shot 10-of-21 from the field and made seven 3-pointers following a woeful two-point, 0-of-7 shooting night in an embarrassing 144-93 blowout in Memphis two nights ago.
Warriors’ Young Players Learning the Rope
The Warriors are at a crossroads with the February 6 trade deadline fast approaching. With their desire to maximize Curry’s remaining years as an elite offensive force, their patience over their young players to keep in step with their franchise star is about to be truly tested in the next few weeks.
“When you have Steph Curry on your team, you pass the ball,” Kerr added. “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.”
The Warriors’ young players showed up in this critical win that snapped a three-game losing skid.
Jackson-Davis returned to the starting lineup with a near double-double: 15 points and nine rebounds with two blocks.
Second-year guard Brandin Podziemski had 12 points and seven rebounds to lead Golden State’s bench. Jonathan Kuminga added 11 points in his second straight game coming off the bench after starting in the Warriors’ last six games before their 51-point loss in Memphis.
Their other young player, Moses Moody, sat out with a left knee injury. Curry’s longtime starting teammate, Draymond Green, also skipped the game with left ankle soreness.
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