After Golden State’s most recent loss against Oklahoma City, Stephen Curry took the mic to promise that both he and his teammates “will perform better,” as his squad wasn’t very inspiring after they accumulated their third-consecutive defeat of the season this week.
Another one of the team’s leader, Draymond Green, also felt the urge to do the same and address the media after losing to the Thunder. The problem somehow seems to be that the Warriors don’t play the same when Curry is not on the floor, as players like Moses Moody and Lindy Waters III were easily shut down by the rival defense.
The four-time champion was open about his team’s recent struggles. “That’s why you want to get off to a fast start,” Green shared. “Because you’re going to hit rough patches throughout an 82-game season. And if you build a cushion, it allows you to withstand that. … Nobody’s panicking.”
Draymond Green Sends a Message to Warriors Fans After Three-Game Losing Streak: “Nobody’s Panicking” #green #warriors #nbahttps://t.co/zh1d0RcM3c
— Fotnet24 (@FootballLIVEH11) November 28, 2024
Even though recent results have tainted Golden State’s impressive start to the campaign, Draymond continued to show optimism and trust in his teammates, especially the young talent emerging in the squad. One of the players he praised the most was Jonathan Kuminga.
So far this season, the 22-year-old Congolese star has been thriving under their coach’s new system. “Just live up to your potential, be the star you are, Young! It’s time,” Green posted on Kuminga’s instagram account this week.
Steve Kerr decided to shed some light on the team’s struggles, especially in the absence of their main star. “Steph not being there definitely influences things for us,” the tactician explained. “Pairing Trayce Jackson-Davis and Draymond without Steph, without a pick-and-roll player, makes it really tricky offensively. That’s why I made those adjustments.“
Earlier this week, he addressed the fact that Curry will be under minutes restriction. “We usually pencil him in for 32 [minutes], and we like to keep it around that number,” he said on Monday at Chase Center. “We were able to give him a good rest in the first half because the second unit was playing really well.”
Golden State will continue to have their veteran core playing under a minutes restriction this season, as they hope to keep them strong while empowering the younger players
This situation isn’t new, as Stephen Curry has been held to minutes restrictions in the last couple of years due to his old age. The 36-year-old has played in 14 games so far this campaign, producing averages of 22.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.5 assists over 29.7 minutes per match.
Another player being held to minutes restriction is Draymond, who explained to the public why he considers this an important strategy so that veterans like himself can remain leaders throughout the campaign. After losing twice this week, the four-time champion addressed this issue on his own podcast show.
“Steve has 9 championship rings—5 as a player and 4 as a coach,” Green explained. “The reason I’m telling you (this) is because in a regular season game on Monday in November, Steve Kerr is not going to overreact to what the minutes are to what’s already been a tough last 5 days for us.”
Despite his team’s loss, Curry remains optimistic about their chances to remain at the top of the Western Conference standings. “We’ve had some bright spots early in the season,” Steph shared this week, as his team holds a 12-6 record in third place.
