Kerr confident in Warriors’ committee to handle non-Steph minutes

Kerr confident in Warriors’ committee to handle non-Steph minutes originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

LAIE, Hawaii – The strange odyssey that was the one-year Chris Paul Experiment came and went for the Warriors and their former rival without a single playoff game and few, if any, memories that will be remembered when his storied career comes to an end. Paul now is a San Antonio Spur, finding as many ways as possible to get Victor Wembanyama the ball for easy buckets.

His new reality is far from being Steph Curry’s backup point guard. In return, the Warriors no longer have a future Hall of Famer to fulfill the non-Curry minutes.

Steve Kerr coming into his 11th year coaching Curry and the Warriors is being tasked with the same question that seems to need answering before, during and after every season: How can he find success with Curry off the court?

That question never is an easy one to answer. There’s no matching the impact Curry still brings to the Warriors in so many different ways at 36 years old. Him simply stepping foot on the floor changes the complexity of the game, making it hard to downplay Kerr’s first choice being a 21-year-old entering his second season as a pro.

“Well I think BP, [Brandin Podziemski] will fill that role,” Kerr said to NBC Sports Bay Area in an exclusive interview.

Podziemski is one of three players, along with offseason additions De’Anthony Melton and Buddy Hield, competing for the open shooting guard spot to starting next to Curry in Kerr’s backcourt. The Warriors, in games that Curry and Podziemski started together last season, went 17-8.

“He might start, and if does start he’ll come out early and then come in for Steph,” Kerr explained. “If he doesn’t start, he’ll come off the bench and handle a lot of the ball-handling duties.”

During the standout rookie’s time playing for the USA Basketball Men’s Select Team, Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area that Podziemski “is a point guard at heart,” and that’s the role he fulfilled for that makeshift team. Podziemski during scrimmages against Curry and the rest of Team USA’s star-studded squad was…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kerr-confident-warriors-committee-handle-153638469.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-10-03 15:36:38

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