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NEW YORK — Maybe Brandin Podziemski was right after all.
Some eyes may have rolled when the young guard said after last Friday’s loss that the Warriors’ flaming pile of injuries is a “blessing in disguise.” With so many players out, Podziemski said, the young Warriors have a chance to build confidence that could eventually carry over for when Golden State’s veterans eventually return.
This is a chance for Podziemski, Gui Santos, Quinten Post, Will Richard and others to play through mistakes. To feel what a clutch game is really like. To have the ball in their hands with the game in the balance, the clock running down. To figure out what they can and can’t do on the court in the highest-pressure moments.
Two days after Podziemski’s comments, he dribbled up the court facing a two-point deficit as the clock ticked under 30 seconds. Head coach Steve Kerr kept a timeout in his pocket, opting to let his team play in the flow.
Podziemski made a hard jab step to win separation from Jalen Brunson and pulled up with 24 seconds left. He loves hunting 2-for-1 opportunities, but if that was his thought process in the moment, he may have miscalculated the situation.
The shot missed, but Steve Kerr complimented Podziemski’s process.
“I love it,” the head coach said postgame. “Take the 3, go for the throat.”
A couple possessions later, the Warriors failed to get a shot up with a chance to tie as time expired in Madison Square Garden. Golden State (32-35) dropped its season-high fifth straight game despite an inspired effort by an extremely depleted team. Seven of the team’s eight top scorers were sidelined; all three two-way players logged minutes; and new 10-day signing Omer Yurtseven played 12 minutes before learning all his teammates’ names.
The Warriors had 10 active players against the Knicks, with $193 million in salary unavailable. Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, and Seth Curry were all in street clothes — in Manhattan or elsewhere.
These were the cards the Warriors were dealt. At this point, they might as well try and learn how to count them.
For players like Podziemski and his young cohorts, that means learning through losses. Perhaps it’s not quite a blessing in disguise, but there are worse ways for a team locked into the play-in round to spend its time.
“Get thrown into the fire,” Gary Payton II said. “Probably the best way to learn is just get out and get reps, get out there and just continue to get a feel for games, situations. Like tonight, coming into the Garden shorthanded, guys got to step up. It puts the pressure on them to be able to come out there and do your job. I love it. I love everything about this stretch for them. It’s a great opportunity for guys to showcase what they can do within a game.”
Source: NBA.com
These players have been thrown into the fire for quite a while now. Butler’s season ended on Jan. 4 with his torn ACL. Curry hasn’t played since Jan. 30 as he deals with runner’s knee (he’s expected to return before season’s end). Porzingis has barely played since joining the team, and Melton has sat out back-to-backs all season, frequently ceding his minutes.
About a week ago, Kerr said his team is about as beaten up as he could remember with the Warriors. Then he lost three players in one night. Horford strained his calf on Friday and will be re-evaluated in 10 days. Seth Curry has the same timeline for his adductor strain. Green (back) is expected to return on Monday night in Washington D.C..
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Friday, Mar. 6
Golden State is now 5-12 since losing Curry before the All-Star break. But the Warriors have competed in practically every game — including stunning wins over the Nuggets and Rockets — and they certainly did against New York.
The Warriors earned a 21-point lead in the first half, as a variety of junk defenses befuddled the Knicks and their star guard, Brunson. New York eventually climbed back after an avalanche of Warriors turnovers and a third quarter in which the Knicks won the rebounding edge 15 to one.
Through it all, there were teaching moments.
Kerr got as upset as he had been all season when Richard threw a behind-the-back pass on a fast break after Podziemski’s hit-ahead pass led him too far. Richard’s momentum was carrying him through the baseline, but Kerr wanted the guard to stop, catch, and go up strong.
“It was a bad pass from BP,” Kerr said postgame. “BP should’ve made a good pass, Will’s got a dunk. It turns into a five-point swing. I was mad at Will because I thought he could’ve corralled the ball. I thought he was trying to make an around-the-back pass for a score. I might be wrong.
“From my angle, it looked like he could’ve corralled the ball and made a jump stop. I was really upset with the whole team for the second quarter. That’s where the game got away from us a little bit. Too many turnovers, too many careless plays.”
Kerr added that he regrets snapping in that scenario. But, Richard could still learn from an unfortunate moment. He hadn’t been in a situation like that before, with 20,000 people watching him get reamed by his boss. It happens in the NBA. Might as well get one out of the way.
Santos, who has been the Warriors’ best and most consistent player for about a month, scored 11 of his 20 points — plus three dimes — in the fourth quarter. He went at mismatches, reached into his bag of step-throughs for slick finishes, found Payton on a pick-and-roll, and followed up his own miss for a hustle putback.
Before this recent stretch, he’d never been a focal point of his offense, let alone a go-to option in crunch time. Getting those reps will very likely make him a better player in the long run.
That doesn’t mean it’s always going to be pretty.
The Warriors were down just one with 90 seconds left when Santos sized up Landry Shamet on the wing. The Brazilian forward muscled Shamet into the post, winning position on the block. Then, under the rim, instead of taking a layup or trying to get fouled, Santos threw a kickout pass into the first row.
Source: NBA.com
A minute later, with one last shot to force overtime, Santos threw an inaccurate pass to Post on the perimeter. His errant dish bounced off Post’s hands and sealed the loss.
“It’s bad to be losing games and all that, but at the same time, it’s good for me to have this experience,” Santos said. “In the NBA, at this level, the best basketball in the world…Today, I missed the last pass for QP, that was a bad pass for me. You just learn through the situation.”
These are circumstances for the Warriors’ young players to mature. Growing pains are inevitable.
“They’re all gaining valuable experience right now,” Kerr said. “Playing these big minutes, against great teams, understanding what it takes to win a game on the road. Gave ourselves a chance.”