It’s been a tough start to the season for the Golden State Warriors. On Saturday, October 24, they fell to the Phoenix Suns in overtime, losing 122-131 to make it three straight defeats.
Speaking to the media after the game, Steve Kerr sent a defiant message.
“Just keep putting in the work,” Kerr said, via Joseph Dycus. “Keep watching film. As long as they’re connected and together, whoever is available will play, and we’re going to compete like crazy. That will get us better, win or lose. We’re going to take strides with games like tonight. We’ll have a film session tomorrow or Monday, and we’ll grow from this, learn from it.”
Kerr continued.
“We’re not going to lose our spirit. We’ve got a great group of guys, and some really good vets leading them. And you saw some of the youthful energy and talent we have. It’s exciting; it’s really fun watching some of these young guys play.”
Golden State has especially struggled defensively to begin the season. According to Cleaning The Glass, which has a built-in garbage time filter, the Warriors rank 28th in the NBA for Defensive Rating after three games, allowing 123.1 points per 100 possessions.
As such, Kerr will undoubtedly be looking to clean up some of the team’s defensive struggles in the coming weeks.
Yaxel Lendeborg Has A Big Role To Play
During Kerr’s postgame news conference, he admitted that rookie Yaxel Lendeborg will have a role to play during late-game situations.
“We can’t just rely on Steph Dray pick-and-roll, you know, night after night to close games,” Kerr said. “We’re going to put Yaxel in more and more pick-and-roll situations, playmaking situations. I have no doubt he’s going to help us close a lot of games this year.”
Lendeborg has enjoyed a strong start to his NBA career. In three games, he’s averaging 18.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per night, shooting 44.4% from deep, 43.5% from the two-point range and 66.7% from the line.
Warriors Face Another Tough Test On Monday
Things aren’t going to get any easier for the Warriors. They’ll face the Denver Nuggets on Monday, October 26. Interestingly, Golden State has won three of its last five meetings with Denver, so they should come into the game with a certain level of confidence.
Unlike the Warriors, Denver has put a win on the board this season. Of course, that won’t make a difference once the game tips off and everything is about who performs best on the night.
Still, the concern is that Golden State could potentially be 0-4 to begin the season. The aim has always been to give Stephen Curry one more run at winning a championship. Unfortunately, based on the team’s current production, the chances of that happening seem further away than ever.
Fortunately for the Warriors, we’re still very early into the season, and things can turn around quickly.
Warriors’ Steve Kerr Sends Defiant Message After 0-3 Start