Blue Man Hoop
Fansided

Steve Kerr delivers subtle but brutal message to Golden State Warriors’ youngsters

By Peter O'Keefe

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 25: Jonathan Kuminga #00 and Jordan Poole #3 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after Kuminga slam dunked and was fouled on the play against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half of an NBA game at Chase Center on January 25, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 25: Jonathan Kuminga #00 and Jordan Poole #3 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after Kuminga slam dunked and was fouled on the play against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half of an NBA game at Chase Center on January 25, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Like 28 other teams right now, the Golden State Warriors are watching the NBA Finals from afar as the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat battle it out to take the crown from the 2022 champions.

The Warriors lost 4-2 in the second-round to the Los Angeles Lakers, a defeat undoubtedly brought about by roster issues and a lack of cohesiveness that was evident from the early portion of the season.

Golden State Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr has delivered a subtle but brutal message to his young players regarding their playoff attitudes.

The Warriors’ two-timeline approach was exposed during the playoffs, with Steve Kerr leaning heavily on his experienced core aside from second-year wing Moses Moody. Joining Draymond Green to dissect Game 2 of the Finals, the four-time championship-winning coach heaped praise on the Heat’s role players, which in turn many have taken as a dig at his own younger players.

"“None of those 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. You know this from our groups that we’ve had that when you have that championship mentality, every guy is bought in, every guy is just trying to win”, Kerr said."

Many on social media have correlated his words as a direct message to young duo Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga, both of whom saw a significant decrease in minutes once the postseason rolled around.

After Golden State’s Game 4 loss in Los Angeles, Poole was quoted as saying, “maybe opportunity changes, but you can only control what you can control”. The fourth-year guard averaged exactly 30 minutes during the regular season, but that fell to 21.8 amid deteriorating form in the playoffs.

Kuminga had seen over 20 minutes per game as one of the Warriors’ most exciting developments in the regular season, though he fell completely out of Kerr’s rotation after Game 3 of their first-round series against the Sacramento Kings.

Following Golden State’s exit against the Lakers, The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported that Kuminga’s camp would seek discussion with Golden State management about his role with the team moving forward.

Next. The top 3 offseason priorities for the Golden State Warriors. dark

The Warriors face a crucial offseason with the future of many key players in question, including Poole, Kuminga and Green. If Kerr’s words are anything to go by, he’s certainly standing firm with the championship core that’s served him so well.

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