Golden State head coach Steve Kerr described his team’s current situation as a “spell where we’re just getting wiped out” after Friday’s 127-117 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Chase Center.
Kerr highlighted the effort of his players despite the challenges, saying, “You saw how hard the guys played and stayed in it and got the fans into it and we can’t ask anything more of our players right now, what they’re giving effort-wise and playing together.”
Injuries have heavily impacted Golden State, with Draymond Green scratched less than an hour before tipoff and Al Horford exiting in the first quarter with right calf tightness. Kerr noted, “We’re about as beaten up as any team I can ever remember really.”
Kristaps Porzingis made his first start since the trade from Atlanta, contributing 20 points. Kerr commented, “Thought he looked great. He’s clearly starting to find a rhythm. He’s such an intriguing player… we really want to get him out there with Steph and see what that looks like.”
On Porzingis’ stamina, Kerr added, “It looked better tonight. We’re still trying to keep him around 20 minutes, but I thought he looked better tonight physically than the other night.” He emphasized the importance of comfort and familiarity, noting, “More familiar with what we’re trying to do at both ends and getting comfortable with the terminology.”
Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors with 25 points, and Kerr praised his performance: “I thought Brandin had a really effective game. He’s aggressive and he rebounds the ball so well. He seems to be in the right spots all the time defensively.”
Kerr discussed lineup adjustments, explaining, “As soon as Draymond went out, Kristaps went in. Even though he could only play 20 minutes, we wanted to give those two guys a look, Kristaps and Al.” On potential future starts, he said, “With Al… we’re not going to rush him back. If that’s the case and Al’s back, then yeah, we’d put Kristaps in the starting lineup.”
Addressing concerns about fading as a team, Kerr reflected, “We’ve just hit a spell where we’re just getting wiped out and it happens occasionally. I’m excited about when we get healthy… there’s actually brighter days ahead.”
On managing young players’ minutes, Kerr explained, “Part of that Rubik’s cube is the guys that are healthy playing more minutes. Our performance staff will… put limits on their minutes. They are being monitored really well every day.”
Despite the loss, Kerr emphasized the learning and development of his roster, saying, “With all these young guys, the experience they’re getting, I think they’re going to be that much better once we get back.”
