Steve Kerr made some tough calls heading into the All-Star break. He rebuilt his rotations, which led to Klay Thompson being moved into a bench role. It also hurt Kevon Looney, as Draymond Green was moved into the starting center position. However, those same changes have revitalized an ailing Golden State Warriors season.
When speaking to the media on Friday (March. 1) following the Warriors’ win over the Toronto Raptors, Kerr revealed the thought process that went into making such difficult changes. He also praised the resistance of his team for the current stretch they’ve been on.
“I’ve liked this team all year,” Kerr said. “We’ve had some struggles early on, but it was more about things just coming together. The chemistry has been great since training camp…We’ve just got healthy and found our groove. It took us a while, frankly, just to figure out our team. We were leaning on what we were two years ago when we won the championship early in the season and that wasn’t working, and I gave that a good long look. We eventually changed things up, and between that and getting Draymond back and our young guys taking a leap forward…We’ve got a good bit of momentum going and we’re going to try and keep it going.”
The Warriors have moved up to ninth in the Western Conference. They’re three games behind the New Orleans Pelicans who occupy the sixth seed. Steph Curry recently discussed Golden State’s aim of getting into the guaranteed playoff spots before the end of the season.
"We were leaning on what we were two years ago when we won the championship early in the season and that wasn't working, and I gave that a good long look."
Kerr on the adjustments the Warriors made to propel their recent hot streak pic.twitter.com/ZKV2EGvxtF
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 2, 2024
Kerr’s roster changes have ensured the Warriors have a chance to make up some lost ground. They’re proving that they can still be a contender this season. However, their upcoming game against the Boston Celtics on Sunday (March 3) will be a significant test of their abilities. If the Warriors are going to avoid the play-in tournament, they need to approach every game like it’s a must-win.
