As the Golden State Warriors fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, ending their unlikely playoff run, there was one central flaw that became apparent. The team's supporting cast members, especially the young players, did not sufficiently step up to the moment, and it is, in large part, a result of head coach Steve Kerr's failure to develop their confidence and skill-set appropriately.
Although the team was able to hold on for one win after superstar Stephen Curry went down in Game 1 with a hamstring injury, they looked largely helpless offensively for the rest of the series, struggling to find spacing and make shots in the absence of their offensive dynamo.
Now, as Golden State likely looks to refine their roster around its veteran trio of Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green this off-season, they must reckon with the fact that they have not prepared themselves for the future.
The Warriors' young core is again falling short of expectations
Ever since the Warriors' infamous "two timelines" plan fell apart with the departures of James Wiseman and Jordan Poole, the team has attempted to rebuild a younger, more energetic cast around its aging core.
With a host of young, rotation-worthy players on the roster this season, including Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga, Quinten Post, Moses Moody, and Trayce Jackson-Davis, Kerr used the regular season to test a wide variety of rotation combinations, seeking to determine which players could be trusted in high-stakes situations.
This resulted in some players, such as Kuminga and Jackson-Davis, gradually being edged out of the rotation as the season wore on.
However, the Curry injury in the second round of the playoffs threw all of these decisions up in the air, and Kerr was yet again forced to play essentially his entire bench as the team scrambled to find offense.
Yet, as a result of Kerr's lack of patience with certain players and preference for building around the gravity of Curry, many of these young players seemed to be missing their game entirely.
Interestingly, Kuminga served as a foil to his young counterparts. In the four games against Minnesota in which he played more than 20 minutes, he averaged 24.3 points, managing to keep the team in games as long as possible.
However, as a result of the breach of trust between Kerr and Kuminga, it is highly likely that Kuminga leaves in restricted free agency this off-season, leaving Golden State with an even thinner young core.
In order to capitalize upon the final years of Curry's career, the Warriors need to surround him with capable, energetic and reliable players. Unless many of the team's youngsters take large steps forward next year, the team may need to look in another direction, jeopardizing their future beyond their veteran trio in the process.