It was certainly a tumultuous start to the Warriors campaign in 2020-2021, but coach Steve Kerr couldn’t be more excited about what he saw lately from his team.
Even after the Golden State’s 108-101 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, Kerr was impressed by the Warriors’ continued improvement and was especially encouraged by what he believes is yet to come.
“The weather is good,” Kerr said when speaking to reporters on Thursday. “I think our team understands that our ceiling is much higher than we are now.
“There are already many teams that are finished products, teams that have been together for a long time who know who they are and are performing at a really high level. Teams like this do not have the same potential for improvement and growth as we do. This is exciting for me and I think our team understands it and recognizes it. “
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While the Warriors are still a long way from the dynasty that reached five consecutive NBA finals, Kerr has consistently defended his team’s talent, preaching patience while new teammates discover their roles and flow.
This pattern has not changed. The Golden State will still need much more time to reach its full potential. However, Kerr could not be more pleased with the initial progress.
“We have a lot of work to achieve that ceiling,” said Kerr. “I think the team feels good about the defensive position. After the first games, we were a defensive mess. Everyone saw it. We weren’t ready for the season.
“Now it looks like we’re ready,” he added. “Last night was a good example. We played with one of the best teams in the league. They played a great defensive game, made it very difficult for us to score, but we did the same.”
The Warriors’ loss to LA on Wednesday was easily a competition they could have won, even without Steph Curry in the final minutes. A second fragmented unit in Damion Lee, Kent Bazemore, Brad Wanamaker, Andrew Wiggins and Eric Paschall opened the fourth period with a 12-0 streak, putting the Golden State to six. Ultimately, the Clippers would drain some 3 points at the end of the quarter to seal the game, but their vastly improved game did not go unnoticed by Kerr.
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He is not usually a lover of moral victories, the Coach of the Year 2015-2016 knows that there is still a lot of work to do, but he admits that it is imperative that his team continues to recognize his strengths and improvements in each game.
“I think we have to be realistic about where our team is now and what we need to do to improve,” he said. “We have to recognize the signs that we are improving and recognize the weaknesses that we need to strengthen.”
The team will have a quick window to adjust the changes. The Warriors welcome the Clippers back to the Chase Center on Friday for a rematch. They will host Toronto Raptors Sunday and Indiana Pacers Tuesday to close their first home before leaving for a three-game trip that ends with a final showdown against the 2019-20 NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.
Many tests await the Warriors in the coming weeks, but if they continue to improve at their pace, they should be in good hands.