The Jonathan Kuminga “run-through” dissected

[commentary/notes/videos/transcripts]

One big thing that’s gotten lost, especially with all the complaining on social media about anything — even when Warriors win 🙄 — is that people don’t realize how hard it is to mesh with one Wardell Stephen Curry, how unique of a 🐐 he is.

What we are seeing rn is something truly extraordinary in the game of basketball. How many veteran teams have an under-25 guy who’s as dynamic as JK, integrating with incumbent winners?

I mean, it’s worth a look, right? Boston: nope, their top four stars are all in their primes. Denver: nope. Peyton Watson is not carrying any offensive burdens; he’s probably the seventh option on offense. Also Christian Braun is a solid role player who has hops, but no one would say he puts pressure on the rim. The Mavs: nope. OKC: they’re already all young and were built through the Draft, so an entirely different animal, plus haven’t won a championship yet. Milwaukee: nope. Lakers (4.5 years removed from their title): heck no, Dalton Knecht isn’t a go-to guy and doesn’t put pressure on the rim. Cleveland: doesn’t count — hasn’t won anything yet — but that team, like OKC, was also constructed through the Draft and a trade that brought in a No. 1-usage rate guy.

Maybe Kawhi Leonard rising with San Antonio back in the day? But that was a different NBA and they were still posting up Tim Duncan. That’s a lot easier to integrate into compared to Curry moving without the ball.

Usually a young athletic and talented guy gets the keys to the car: Jalen Green, Scottie Barnes, heck, even Franz Wagner to a point, because the entire Orlando Magic roster is full of phenom Draft picks recently. To try and enter the fast-spinning orbit of Steph in a system where he and Draymond Green share a brain (Luke Walton voice) and are attached at the hip with Steve Kerr?

This is literally uncharted territory in the NBA. Props to the commenter who can come up with a comp to JK x Warriors ecosystem.

JK and his immediate circle, which includes Kerr and the rest of the coaching staff, including Anthony Vereen who gives a lot of hands-on attention, deserve a lot of credit for staying humble and patient. I’m waiting for the 30/30 on his parents’ influence (devoid of the typical AAU culture ego), as well as his agency. They all deserve credit for teaching Jonathan the proper approach to putting the ball in the hoop, punctuated by the screen he set for a Curry three-ball late versus the Suns (which Steph missed), which really showed off JK’s growth.

I really don’t see any other way but 📈 up from here on out — knock on wood!

And yet, every game I sit there and do the play-by-play on our livestreams and as a former coach, I’ll be pulling my hair out when a youngster like JK can’t figure out when to shoot, pass, or dribble and yet has all the tools to do so. We can see it more easily on the TV screen with the whole halfcourt charted out for us. We want to play JK like a video game, so we get a little impatient.

It’s outside the scope of my writing for today, but I’ve gone through personal experiences like that, both as a young “phenom” (relatively speaking) in the Japantown men’s rec league as well as being the coach of a 19-year-old No. 1 scorer in the Sacramento Barons tournament one time. I’ll tell that story someday soon, I’m sure. Kuminga inevitably will have ups and downs during the climb, so maybe I’ll wait for a setback for the deep dive analogy.

And so it was probably, what, 12 game livestreams ago when I just concluded that the simplest thing Kuminga could be coached to do is to “cut hard”. Write it in block letters on two post-it notes and stick them on your bathroom mirror so that every day you wake up to brush your teeth, and every night when you return, you see the words CUT HARD and it gets programmed into your subconscious brain.

As luck would have it, Steve went on the podium twice (pregame and postgame Phoenix) and dissected just what it means to… cut hard!

The full transcripts are below, along with the ones from Draymond and Dennis Schroder postgame, but block-quoted below are the JK-related ones.

What Steve described was hoops gold and a blueprint for any AAU or college coach out there who has a super-athletic kid having trouble making the right instant decisions. Of course, you have to have a ball-movement offense installed. “Run-throughs” kind of require that. Or at least the inverted screen where the guard comes to set a pick for JK. This obviously doesn’t work in the more prevalent and simpler my-turn-your-turn pick-and-roll style with a big.

So we will be on the lookout during Warriors games now as to how they actually generate JK’s “run-throughs.” As we watch, Kerr will essentially be writing the book on how to do this.

And while Jonathan is unique in his own right — for example, Jalen, Scottie and Franz are completely different players who can’t really use this blueprint — you could probably implement similar techniques for players who are actually in the same mold as him. How about JK’s younger brothers Flory and Alexandre Kuminga? Someone make sure the younger Kumingas are running ball-movement offense first, though!

This was from pregame:

07:46 Steve, Jonathan last night, four dunks, five layups, attacked the rim like you want to see, but how do you get that kind of offensive force from him consistently when you guys are whole, when you have Steph, you have Draymond, because it seems like it's been a little easier for him without those guys on the floor?

07:58 Yeah, it's like you were in our coaches meeting too. No, that's the question. The downhill, both on and off the ball. Off the ball is even more important. What I saw from JK sprinting the floor, sprinting the wings, running through the catch, BP had a cross-court pass to him that JK was running forward, caught it and laid it in. At times that play is a catch on the perimeter. We need that run-through and when he does that, it's unstoppable. I thought last night was his best game since he's been here at that particular dynamic that you're talking about, the force and the pace of his running and his movement and constantly going towards the basket. He had the baseline cut when Wiggs found him, the bounce pass for the dunk. So that's the next step for JK and for us. How can we get him to do that consistently? And can he do that when he's on the floor with Steph and Draymond and not getting the ball as much? I know he can. I thought last night was a great indication of that. And so we're going to keep plugging away. And I have no doubt he's gonna get there. This guy is — he works hard and he's talented. He wants it. It's just nothing more than experience and feeling all this stuff. But it's doesn't happen right away.

09:38 Sort of a natural follow up to that, he had 14 free throw attempts last night and you guys historically, I don't think, have gotten to the free throw line enough for a lot, as much as you want to, right? How much of a asset can that be when he gets to the line that much and, I mean, he made most of them, 11-for-14?

09:54 Right, right. And so there's kind of a domino effect of everything. Steph being out meant he had the ball in his hands way more than he would normally. So can we get the ball in his hands more, even when Steph and Draymond are on the floor? If so, what does that require? It requires awareness and understanding of what Steph's gravity, what's he doing on the weak side, moving the ball quickly. So it's all part of the growth of JK and of our team, and for us as a staff, trying to get that balance between giving JK the space and the opportunities, but also, leaning into Steph and the movement and the flow. And putting all that together is the biggest challenge, but that's what we're shooting for.

10:49 There's one more coming, a question. Is there a model of a player that you can either mention to him or you guys talk amongst themselves that he can, okay, do kind of that? Aaron Gordon is someone, maybe, because of the way he plays off of Jokic, the way it's a secondary move that turns into a primary move. Do you have other examples of something in your mind that right now when he's on the floor with Steph, could be some kind of model for him?

11:15 Not really. We talked about it a little bit early in his career, but I think he's very unique to himself and every player kind of has to find his own game and his own identity. And it's, again, it's not easy when you get thrown into the fire in the NBA without having a lot of experience either in college or growing up. And so this whole process has been largely based on exactly what you're talking about, who is he? What is he as a player? Last night, to me, was the example of who he's gotta be with the force, with the constant sprinting, using that incredible athleticism when he doesn't have the ball. And we talk about it. We're going to keep hammering that home. If he can get consistent with that, I have no doubt he's going to take off. And I'm excited about that.

12:13 With one of those plays you mentioned with him running through the catch, I think I know what you're talking about, but I feel like Utah was really good at that a few years ago with (coach Quin) Snyder. Are there ways to manufacture that kind of advantage with scheme?

12:28 Yeah, yeah. And we work on that all the time. And that's — he's probably more capable of using that dynamic than anybody because of his power and his force. Jordan Poole was pretty good with that, running through the catch. No matter how fast the guy who's guarding you is, if you're running this way and I'm running that way, I can create separation. But you add to that a world-class athlete like JK, with that force of momentum coming downhill, running through the catch, it's pretty dynamic. So yeah, we work on it. We work on it a lot.

And this was from postgame:

00:00 You talked about getting Kuminga moving, getting him action where he's gonna get towards the rim. Was that what happened tonight? Is that what you saw from him tonight, especially on the last play? Obviously, gets the pass from Draymond, he gets fouled. Just what was going on to get him free like that?

00:17 STEVE KERR: I just think he's turning a corner. I just think he's seeing the pictures well. He made a play late in the game where he swung the ball to Draymond, immediately pinned in for Steph and Steph got a three. He didn't make it, but that's the play where you have to recognize Steph's your teammate, you see he's cutting through the lane. Swing the ball and go set a screen for him and those are the type of plays that, if he makes and he's doing what he's doing, getting downhill, getting fouled, getting to the rim, now the mix, the blend of Steph, Draymond, JK, now it starts to really get powerful. And I'm just I'm so impressed with JK. It just feels like he's turning a corner and played so hard last night and again tonight. The rebound at the end, just before he got fouled. He came out of nowhere along the baseline to make that play. I think he had about seven boards in the second half. He was, it was fantastic. And this is exactly what we're looking for. And it's fun to see him deliver.

…

01:47 Feels like you've gotten him on facing centers and kind of space the last two nights, Zubac and even Plumlee tonight. I mean, how much do you want to try to get him into those actions where he's going at bigs in space?

01:59 For sure. Yeah, we're trying to do that. I think what I like is that he's not settling for the 17-foot pull-up. He's trying to get to the rim. And then if it's not there, he's kicking it out. And then late clock, he's one of the few guys who can create a shot or that's where that mid-range shot comes in into play. So I just think the process is better overall for him.

02:30 We — I do feel like there's been several points that through his four years that it has felt like maybe he is turning a corner, waxes and wanes, I mean. But you do sound maybe a little bit more confident?

02:40 This feels different to me. It really does. There's just a different force to his game. Last night, you saw all the times he just ran the floor, ran through the catch and attacked the rim. The nine rebounds tonight, the timely plays that he made, it just feels different. It feels like he's figuring out how to impact winning, which is obviously the main thing.

03:12 How much of that difference is having him back up back-to-back games the way he did last night and tonight?

03:18 That's a big deal. That's what great players do. They stack together multiple games. And so we'r re going to stay with this rotation with him coming off the bench. It allows us to get our defense set with Draymond and Trayce and then he comes in and plays with both of those guys. That gives him the space he needs at the 4. But we closed tonight with him at the 3, defensively, with Trayce and Draymond and that would be ideal if we can get to that point where we can play him at the 3 and the 4. But I like where where he is and I think I think our team has a chance now to rebuild our momentum. I think this was an important win.

04:08 You referenced before the game, you talked about the importance of JK playing with Steph and Draymond. I guess you just referenced it. But what was different about that tonight, when he was out there with them? What worked better?

04:22 Yeah, there was a good mix of him attacking, but also Steph getting his looks. And I referenced that one play to Tim (Kawakami) where he swung it and pinned for Steph, set the screen for him. Those are the type of sort of organic actions that you have to recognize when you play with Steph. And I thought that was a big play, but he's just doing a better job of moving the ball quickly if there's no advantage, recognizing the advantage and swinging it. And so we'll keep plugging away, but it's exciting to watch his growth.

Here are the videos and full transcripts from Suns-Warriors in reverse chronological order:

00:00 How big was that three tonight for you?

00:08 DENNIS SCHRODER: I mean, it helped us a lot. We took the lead. Felt good, for sure, to knock down a three. It's been a rough couple of games. But I'm glad we won the game.

00:26 You've transitioned to new franchises plenty of times in your career. Has this one been more challenging at all than past ones?

00:35 No, I mean, from Boston to Houston was one and Toronto to Brooklyn. That was my only two. But this organization, I mean, they stand for championships and winning organization. And I just, it's different if you go to the Houston Rockets or you come into this organization and you play with Steph Curry, Draymond, Andrew Wiggins, Kuminga. I mean, you just gotta fit in, kinda. And we're just figuring it out right now.

01:16 How much of the transition has led to kind of your colder shooting struggles and how much is it just maybe a little cold patch.

01:24 Yeah, it shouldn't affect me because, at the end of the day, defensively, I think that's where we gotta focus on. That's what we did tonight. I think defensively was really disruptive and just making sure they feel uncomfortable and we dictate the game. And that's what we did tonight. And I think when that is solid every single night, it gives us a chance to win the game. And even if you're not shooting it well, you can have a great game. I just gotta focus on that side of the ball first and then all the shots I'm taking in the game, I take them every single day, so they're going to fall eventually.

02:06 It's been kind of a cold shooting stretch for the whole team, as a group, obviously not just for you. How much can one game and sort of one positive outcome at the end kind of turn things around mentally for a group?

02:16 Yeah, I mean, before I got here or when I got here, I mean, there was, I think, they lost out of 10 games, they lost eight. And, I mean, mentally, everybody was positive. Everybody in practice, it felt like they was winning. And that's what I love about this group. Everybody is just being positive and doing everything together. I mean, the leaders were Draymond and Curry. They set in a great example, how to be a pro and how you do things on a day-to-day basis. And yeah, I mean, of course, it's great to win while we transitioning into how we want to play, yeah, but, yeah, we're not going to change if we lose games. We're just going to stay with it.

03:10 Steve mentioned your defense on Tyus, in particular, and how you're able to disrupt what he was doing, like you said. And when you're trying to get yourself going, how much does it help to be able to sort of throw yourself into things on defense to give you some energy and momentum in the right direction?

03:22 Yeah, I mean, that's what I did my whole career. That's what got me on the floor when I was with Atlanta and that's just me. And the last couple of games I wasn't — I mean, Clippers game first half, but then James Harden did a great job of passing it and then just going into the post, but I gotta set the tone on the defensive end, picking up 94 feet and offensive end is going to come.

03:51 Dennis, I know you've only been here a couple of weeks, but what have you learned about Jonathan Kuminga since you've been here and how much can he change the dynamic of this team if he can be productive the way he's been the last few games?

04:04 Yeah, I mean, you can't control if the ball goes in or not, but how professional he is on a day-to-day basis, every single day being positive, having a smile on his face, it's important for us. I mean, I just got here and I tried to feel everybody out, but I had a couple of convos already with him because I think when he is a screen-and-roller or we hit Dray in the pocket and then he coming out of the corner to slash to the basket, it's really unstoppable. And I think, of course, he can handle the ball. He's a great player, but I think when we really want to be effective for him as well, that's how he gotta play, like he did tonight, open shots, threes, dunks, in the post a little bit. Like, he's just a game-changer when he plays that way.

05:08 Steve Kerr said he thinks something's broken through, something's happened here for you in the last week or so. Do you feel that way, that there's been a breakthrough or do you just feel it's just the natural process for you?

05:20 JONATHAN KUMINGA: I feel like it is a natural process. Everybody in the organization playing a big part of it, helping me throughout every situation including my coaches, including Steve, including my teammates, just trusting me, having that trust in me and stuff like that. And I feel like it's been like that all season. Like, I always say before, if you play great, they'll just look at that, but they don't see it when you just play normal. You try to win, but I feel like I just been trying to win, that's all.

05:59 How big did those free throws, feel down the stretch?

06:02 I felt great. I miss couple. It was — I was nervous a little bit, I ain't gonna lie. I've never been in a situation where I gotta go to the free throw and everybody's quiet. And I gotta make those free throws. And I'm glad and lucky I made those too, so.

06:23 Has that — I think your percentage this season has dipped from last year — has that been frustrating, your free throws?

06:31 Not really, no. It's all about just focusing and locking in and just making those free throws and I feel like I was shooting well, free throws throughout all my workout and stuff like that. And then when I get to the game, something changed and I didn't know what it was. But Wiggs is one of the people that helped me. There was a year Wiggs struggled shooting free throws, so he was just in the same situation as me, but Wiggs is one of the people that kind of helped me and just gave me a little tip to it and I feel like I'm getting better at it back again.

07:08 Any specific tip from him?

07:12 Just not doing too many motions. I feel like I had too many motions throughout my free throws. And just wanted me to shoot through one motion. And I feel like that kind of helped a lot.

07:27 How did — over here — how did tonight, if at all, feel different than last night in the sense that Steph, a lot of what you did tonight was with Steph and Draymond on the court with you? Steve had said before the game, he felt like that was the next step for you, to be assertive and have this kind of big night playing with Steph and Draymond, who obviously didn't play last night.

07:45 They make all of us life easier, things I don't need to work for myself. When I have those two guys on the floor, I just get easy bucket. So just having them, they make my life easier on a lot of aspects and perspectives. So I'm just glad they came back and we got the dub.

08:11 Taking on the challenge in guarding KD in the fourth quarter, how much did it mean to you to get a couple steals, get a couple stops against him?

08:23 Sorry. Yeah, it means a lot. KD is one of the people that we always look up to. Obviously, back home, people watching me playing against KD, it's mind-blowing. We all as a kid used to watch those type of guys, KD, and just going out there playing against him every other time I get a chance, it means a lot. Like I said, I love guarding those type of players, one of the best players in the league. And it's a challenge. It's a — you gotta put your mental focus on it, to go out there and get a couple of stops. Obviously, you're not going to get all of them, but just going out there against him and taking that challenge, it means a lot.

09:10 They've been talking about getting you the ball on the move. We saw that clearly yesterday. Does that mean doing different things for you or are you just thinking cut, cut, cut? Is there action that helps you be able to get the ball on the move? And is that kind of what happened on that last play when you got under the rim from Draymond and got fouled?

09:29 The last play was with actually anybody that could be open. And I ended up being open. Well, obviously, where the ball was going to Steph, but I ended up being open and Draymond trusted me and he threw the ball to me. So, I mean, it's just about going out there and just playing free and not overthinking. And I think that's why Steve been telling me and the rest of the guys, just don't overthink, just go out there and play, just be you.

10:03 Draymond has been one of your strongest advocates since Day One. How would you describe him as your mentor?

10:11 It's not that much to — it's a lot to say about what Draymond has been in my life. He has helped me a lot, on and off the court. And it's he's a vet for me throughout my career, throughout my fourth year, four years I've been here, so. And I really appreciate the little tips and things he tells me and help me here and there. He just keep helping me, helping me to become the person I want to be.

10:48 Kerr said they're gonna stick with this lineup, with you coming off the bench pretty quickly. It looks like maybe, but are you getting used to this? Do you have to prepare differently? You might get 34 minutes, like you did tonight, but you're still coming off the bench.

11:00 I mean, I feel like I only started, like, six games out of I don't know how many. I don't know, what, 31. So now I feel like my role being coming off the bench. I'm used to that. And there is gonna be nights where I'll start, gonna be nights where I'll go out there and play a lot of minutes. But my focus is staying the course. And anytime I get that chance to start or just coming off the bench, that anytime I go out there, I can impact. That's my main focus. The more I start thinking about starting and not starting and — I'll lose my own mind. So I'm just focusing on just anything that happen, I want my mental just be right when I go out there and just play for my team and play for my team.

00:00 I feel like we've had a few press conferences with you over the years talking about, like, is this the breakthrough moment for, Kuminga, but where are you at on him, especially after the last two nights?

00:12 DRAYMOND GREEN: Same place I've been. He's one of the most talented guys on this team by far. And it's good to see him playing the way he's playing. And we just need him to stay that aggressive. When he's on the court, we're gonna feature him. And it's on him to do the rest and he's doing that. And he's more than capable. And he'll continue to get better. And he'll continue to do more.

00:41 How challenging, I mean, it seems like we, again in the past, we've had these conversations and then sometimes it kind of waxes and wanes a little bit. I mean, how committed do you guys need to remain to, like you said, featuring him?

00:54 We're always committed to that. He's on the floor with me, even when he's on the floor with Steph, we're all looking for him. Like, it's not just, like, it's all, it's one of us guys who doesn't shoot the ball as much. When he's on the court, we all want to get him the ball. And it's on him to keep that mindset to come get the ball. And it's on him, no matter what happens, continue to try to score the basketball. We don't — He had three assists tonight. That's cool. If I'm honest, we don't need him to have much more than that. Go score the basketball. And that's what he's doing for us.

01:36 Obviously, Steve's praised him, but he's also at times pointed out things that he should do differently and very poignantly recently don't need those mid- range jumpers with 12 seconds on the clock. How have you seen Kuminga kind of deal with this? Do you think it's been just the normal progress for a young player or is it a little different just because of all the talent he has? Where's his mind been do you think?

01:58 He — I saw what he said before. He's strong. He don't waver, stays the course. He don't complain. He just stays the course. And so his mind is great. You go through things in this league. The path to the top for everybody isn't — I don't think, really, for anyone, but I know for everyone it's not linear. There's dips and peaks and then you dip. That's just, that's the nature of the game we play. You got a lot of great guys in this league, if you want to put yourself in that category. James Harden, who we played last night, one of the greatest players this game has ever seen. He spent four years, three years coming off the bench. What did he turn out to be? So everyone's path isn't straight up. Steph Curry, first four years, three at least, weren't the most glamorous three years. And where is he today? So, we all get caught up in the here and now, judging everything as it happens, not give things a chance to play out. And that's just the world we live in, where everything is under constant scrutiny and it creates that. But I just hope that he stayed committed to his process on his path to greatness. If he stays committed to his process, which I have zero doubt that he will, he will be great.

03:38 On another guy, a small sample size of Schroder, certainly had not been shooting the ball great, didn't shoot the ball great in this game until the very end. The ball pops in his hands for that three- pointer, are you feeling real good and what do you think that shot meant to him making it?

03:53 We've been on the wrong side of him making big plays like that for years. So when the ball went to him, when he took the shot, we all knew that they had a chance. You look at the plays he made down the stretch, it wasn't just that play. It was the layup, it was the three, coming up with the loose ball then getting the free throws, his defense. He was great. And so we're not gonna get caught up in makes and misses. The ball just hasn't been going in for us lately. We started off the season hot and we're in a patch right now where the ball ain't really going in our favor. But we stayed the course. Our defense gave us a chance and when we needed to knock down shots in the end, we did.

04:40 You've been a big champion publicly of Kuminga. How would you describe the way you try to mentor him compared to some of the other young, talented players that you've played with?

04:52 I just try to be a constant voice in his ear, feeding him confidence so that he knows the guys that you're on the court with has the utmost confidence in you. Go make mistakes. Who cares? As long as they're aggressive mistakes, I don't care. I get mad when he pass up shots. Dude, I don't care what anyone has to say. You are that good. Go be that good. And so just try to stay in his ear about that, like I said, making sure he has confidence, making sure he knows that we have the utmost confidence in him and just play his game, be aggressive and try to be there for him wherever I can.

05:37 You mentioned you guys being in a rough patch shooting the ball. Obviously, you've had a few games like this late in the stretch where you've been in it, lost it late. From a confidence standpoint, I know it's just one game, but can this be a pretty significant one to have a game like this pull out the way it did with guys stepping up the way they did who've been struggling?

05:53 When I look at, where the season turned, it turned to San Antonio and Brooklyn, those back- to- back games. That was a turning point. There's no reason why this can't be a turning point to turn back, but you gotta build on it, though. It just don't happen. You're not out of the woods. We're 16- 15. So we got to put some wins together. I think we're capable of doing that. But to get one, kind of get the monkey off your back, is good.

06:20 And you obviously guarded Kevin on that middle mid- post bucket or, I guess, miss, I should say, but you've obviously guarded him a ton in his career — from a scoring ability, obviously is one of the best ever, but what about his game from that standpoint stands out to you the most?

06:34 I mean, there's no bad shot for him. He's seven feet, dribble the ball like point guards, shoot the ball like shooting guards, dunk the ball like centers. He do everything and so just try to be physical, try to make him take a tough shot. I was able to — he got the shot he wanted, what he wanted, left- hand pull up like that was the shot he wanted and I knew that's the shot he wanted. So my mindset was just to make sure I timed it up and got a good contest. I wasn't going to stop him from getting to the spot without fouling. And so I just wanted to make sure I stayed close enough in distance to get a good contest. Because if you're a little behind, like I said, he's seven feet, so it don't affect his shot. You have to be right on him in order to get a contest to where it affect him at all. And yet, and still you can get that same contest and he still make it. So I was happy with the contest that I got, but more happy with the fight that Trayce and Dennis had to come up with that rebound, because we've gotten stops like this in the past and just haven't been able to come up with the ball and Trayce and Dennis come — Trayce first having it and then Dennis coming up with that loose ball, yeah, that was the key. The stop was great. That's cool. That's what I'm supposed to do. But the way those guys came over that loose ball was the play. It wasn't necessarily me making a missed a shot.

08:05 Draymond, this was your guys' first win when trailing going into the fourth quarter of the season. I think it was either 0- 10 or 0- 11. To hold them to 18 points in the fourth, what did you like the most about the final frame?

08:16 I just thought our aggressiveness, we didn't fall into easy switches. They were trying to get to switches, to get certain matchups they like, and we stopped from just falling into those switches. And the guys who were supposed to be guarding the KDs, the Brads, stepped up and took on those challenges and both of those are two of the best scorers in this league, have been for the better part, last 10 years for Brad and KD for the last 15 years. But JK, Dennis, Wiggs, they took on those challenges of guarding those guys. Steph, when he got switched off on him, took on those challenges and with them taking on challenges like that, you make guys take tough shots and you live with the results. And we were able to do that. We came up, we got steals, we got a lot of deflections, and we got the rebounds. And that was big.

09:06 Draymond, how did the dynamics change, given Jonathan, the way he's played, not only the last couple nights, but the last few weeks? Obviously, it would seem that puts you at the 5 even more. How does that change the puzzle, I guess? I know you're used to playing the 5, but still.

09:20 We gotta do what we gotta do to win games, whatever that looks like. For me coming into this season, I'll be honest, I didn't want to play a ton of 5. It's hard. But, and it was working. We were 12- 3 or whatever we were and it was working. When it's not working, you have to look at what works. And if that's me at the 5, like I said, I don't love it for entire games at this point, but I love to win. So, and more importantly, I hate to lose. So that's what it looks like. That's what it looks like. You gotta win games or — I told the guys we all gonna get traded out of here, so we better win some games. I mean, I've done it for a long time, Ron (Kroichick). I think I'm cut out for it. I'm a pretty — I like to play physical. I like to think I'm a little bit tough, just a little, a tad. So yeah, it's sustainable. It doesn't feel the best, but I'll make it happen.

10:26 Mics caught you kind of lighting into Buddy Hield tonight. We heard about Steph kind of having the player meeting the other day. How much right now is it on you two to — are you just trying to light a fire under this team a little bit?

10:39 For sure. As a leader, you have to try different methods. Sometimes you go to a guy, sometimes you don't. And Buddy, I've played with Buddy now for 30 games. Trying to learn what makes him tick. You gotta try different methods. Like I said, some guys you go to — Jonathan Kuminga, I go to and I say, "Hey, this is what I need you to do. Look at this this way." He'll go do it. If I yell at him, I don't think he's going to do it. He ain't gonna listen. You know what I mean? Get out of here, right? Steph, sometimes I go to him. Sometimes I yell at him. He reacts to both. It's like — as a leader, one thing I learned from Coach Izzo about leadership, you have to lead guys. You can't — if you think you're gonna lead a team, you're an idiot. You have to lead guys that make up a team, but leading someone doesn't look the same as leading the next guy. And you gotta figure out what makes guys tick, what gets the a going. And so I'm still figuring that out and to go at Buddy the way I did, we needed that in that moment. We were flat. We just turned the ball over. Lock in. And that's no shot at Buddy. Dennis was at me the other day. He's been here for two weeks and he was at me the other day. Great. It is what it is. Slowmo called me out the other day. "Dray, we getting punked. That's on you." Got you. No problem, right? Mics catch everything today, but I don't care because anything I'll say, I'll say it right into the mic. I don't give a damn. So it was needed and we need Buddy Hield to play great. We need Buddy Hield to make shots and we have all the confidence in the world that Buddy will make shots. But we gotta post feed it. You got a six- foot guy on you, get the water. It's simple. We're 16- 15. We don't love this. So do we just keep doing the same thing and sit back on our hands like, "Oh, it's going to change at some point," or do you make a change? I know what it looks like to win. I know what it takes to win. So as a leader, it's on you to figure out what it takes to help this team win. And if that's mixing it up with a guy every now and then that's yelling, then you do that. But don't be the guy that can't be yelled at. And I'll never be that guy. A teammate yell at me? Great. I may say something back. Oh well, guess what? Buddy said something back to me. We're not dictators. Just what you say doesn't go and everyone has to listen. No, he said something back. I said something back. He said something back. I said something back. Great. And we moved on. And that's how it's gotta be. It's not always gonna be peaches and cream. Whoever thinks that are idiots. Lost three in a row. And we have a turnover in a critical part of the game where we need to get a good shot. Let's get that shot. I've happened to play a lot of championship basketball. A lot of meaningful basketball. But he hasn't had the opportunity to play a bunch of meaningful basketball in this league. Guess what? It's our job to make sure he understand what that means. And if people don't like it, so be it. That's why they don't have four championships and I do. Oh, that's gone.

00:00 You talked about getting Kuminga moving, getting him action where he's gonna get towards the rim. Was that what happened tonight? Is that what you saw from him tonight, especially on the last play? Obviously, gets the pass from Draymond, he gets fouled. Just what was going on to get him free like that?

00:17 STEVE KERR: I just think he's turning a corner. I just think he's seeing the pictures well. He made a play late in the game where he swung the ball to Draymond, immediately pinned in for Steph and Steph got a three. He didn't make it, but that's the play where you have to recognize Steph's your teammate, you see he's cutting through the lane. Swing the ball and go set a screen for him and those are the type of plays that, if he makes and he's doing what he's doing, getting downhill, getting fouled, getting to the rim, now the mix, the blend of Steph, Draymond, JK, now it starts to really get powerful. And I'm just I'm so impressed with JK. It just feels like he's turning a corner and played so hard last night and again tonight. The rebound at the end, just before he got fouled. He came out of nowhere along the baseline to make that play. I think he had about seven boards in the second half. He was, it was fantastic. And this is exactly what we're looking for. And it's fun to see him deliver.

01:25 And how huge were those free throws that he made? I mean, were you thinking about how big they were for him?

01:31 Of course, of course. I mean, down one and the stretch we're in, like, we needed this game badly and obviously he's struggled from the line this year. So I thought it showed a lot of guts for him to step up and knock them both down.

01:47 Feels like you've gotten him on facing centers and kind of space the last two nights, Zubac and even Plumlee tonight. I mean, how much do you want to try to get him into those actions where he's going at bigs in space?

01:59 For sure. Yeah, we're trying to do that. I think what I like is that he's not settling for the 17-foot pull-up. He's trying to get to the rim. And then if it's not there, he's kicking it out. And then late clock, he's one of the few guys who can create a shot or that's where that mid-range shot comes in into play. So I just think the process is better overall for him.

02:30 We — I do feel like there's been several points that through his four years that it has felt like maybe he is turning a corner, waxes and wanes, I mean. But you do sound maybe a little bit more confident?

02:40 This feels different to me. It really does. There's just a different force to his game. Last night, you saw all the times he just ran the floor, ran through the catch and attacked the rim. The nine rebounds tonight, the timely plays that he made, it just feels different. It feels like he's figuring out how to impact winning, which is obviously the main thing.

03:12 How much of that difference is having him back up back-to-back games the way he did last night and tonight?

03:18 That's a big deal. That's what great players do. They stack together multiple games. And so we'r re going to stay with this rotation with him coming off the bench. It allows us to get our defense set with Draymond and Trayce and then he comes in and plays with both of those guys. That gives him the space he needs at the 4. But we closed tonight with him at the 3, defensively, with Trayce and Draymond and that would be ideal if we can get to that point where we can play him at the 3 and the 4. But I like where where he is and I think I think our team has a chance now to rebuild our momentum. I think this was an important win.

04:08 You referenced before the game, you talked about the importance of JK playing with Steph and Draymond. I guess you just referenced it. But what was different about that tonight, when he was out there with them? What worked better?

04:22 Yeah, there was a good mix of him attacking, but also Steph getting his looks. And I referenced that one play to Tim (Kawakami) where he swung it and pinned for Steph, set the screen for him. Those are the type of sort of organic actions that you have to recognize when you play with Steph. And I thought that was a big play, but he's just doing a better job of moving the ball quickly if there's no advantage, recognizing the advantage and swinging it. And so we'll keep plugging away, but it's exciting to watch his growth.

04:57 I know you trust the career stats with

05:00 you've mentioned that, but how much guts did it take for him to take that last three? And how much do you think that could do for him to make--

05:07 Dennis?

05:07 Yeah, Schroder.

05:08 Yeah, I mean, he's — I've been coaching against him for a while. I mean, he's a gamer. He is such a competitor. His defense on Beal on that, after we had gone up one, he smothered Beal with help from Trayce. And then he chased down that rebound and got fouled. Those are winning plays. Those are big-time plays. So even though he's been struggling shooting, his ability to handle the ball, allow Steph to get off the ball, his defense on the ball, putting pressure up and down the floor, I mean, early in the game, he was all over Tyus Jones. And Ty — last time we played Phoenix, Tyus killed us. We didn't have any pressure on him. Tonight, Dennis was all over Tyus and I thought that was a big factor in the game.

06:01 He obviously had a lot of help behind him. But what did you make of the way Kuminga defended KD in the fourth?

06:06 Took on the challenge and made it difficult on him. And that's all you can do. I thought he was great on him. You mentioned that it's been an important win. You guys have obviously been in a lot of close games lately that have gone the other way. From a psychological standpoint, does it — is it important? How good did it feel to actually be able to have this one go the way it did, late?

06:25 For sure. Yeah, we've lost a lot of these and to come through, big shot from Dennis, big free throws from JK and a defensive stop, like, that's what it takes. We need to regain our confidence for sure. So I think this will help.

06:43 Seems like Trayce has strung together several good games. How much of an impact did he have defensively, particularly tonight? And what's he — what's different? What's clicked for him?

06:53 It's his second year. So he's figuring out the league. He's understanding angles and, defensively, what he needs to do, where he needs to be, rebounding better, four blocked shots tonight. So the biggest thing is, on offense, just his threat as a dive-man to the rim, lob threat. It opens up the offense, too.

07:19 You mentioned you're going to stick with this rotation. You did basically play eight and I guess Podziemski being hurt kind of limited you in the second half. That's no Kyle, that's no Looney. Is this the way it might have to be with those guys?

07:31 Well, depends on the game. But we play — next week we've got Cleveland and Philly and there's really good chance Loon will be out there at some point guarding Embiid or or Jarrett Allen. So I think this is the rotation we'd like to stick with, the starting group and then JK playing starters minutes. But everybody on the roster has to be to be ready. Moses missed the game tonight, so Lindy gave us some minutes and that could be Kyle, it could be Loon. It just depends on matchups. Thanks.

00:00 Hey, Steve. Assuming he's available. Do you view tonight as a good opportunity to get Draymond maybe some more minutes at center given Phoenix's situation at center?

00:12 STEVE KERR, PREGAME: Definitely a possibility.

00:16 Steve, I know you talked about Schroder's game last night, but obviously the shooting percentages are what they are. It's been five games, I guess. Do you like the shots that he's taking? Do you like the shots that he's getting? Or is i a maybe he's getting some different shots than what you think (inaudible)?

00:35 Typical come to a new team midseason, no training camp. You don't get the terminology right away. You don't get the experience with your teammates. So he's still kind of feeling his way through, but he's so much more valuable to us than just a shooter. I mean, we put him on James Harden most of the night last night. He's an excellent on-ball defender. He's a a point guard who can get you organized. And his shooting, traditionally, has been a little streaky and it's — so I'm not worried about that at all. I do think he's got to get more comfortable just with what we're doing and vice-versa. And that'll come. Hardly any practice time in the last week. And so everything is just happening game-by-game. And that's not easy when you just arrive and get thrown into the fire. But I always trust the track record. Not a very small sample size, so he's gonna be fine.

01:36 Are you ready to play? It looks like you've been warming up.

01:38 Yeah, we're down a few guys tonight, so it's getting loose.

01:41 Yeah. they're not that desperate, come on. Any sense of whether Draymond would be available or what's sort of the latest?

01:54 Draymond would be available. He's going to warm up and see. Moses is out, but Draymond will warm up and hopefully be ready to go. Steph is ready to go.

02:06 And how do you view, I mean, it's pretty rare to have six straight games in, I think, 10 or 11 days in a row at home, obviously comes at a time where you probably need it. I mean, trying to sort of stabilize things, how do you view sort of the opportunity of this homestand to have this many in a row at home? Excuse me. And you guys haven't been, I think, you're 7-7 at home, so you really haven't been able to gain the traction like you have in the past.

02:28 Yeah, it's an important stretch for us, for sure. We've kind of come back from that hot start. We've cooled off, obviously, considerably and we're kind of back in the pack again, but you look at a big-picture-wise, we're only a couple a couple of games out from being in the four or five seed, whatever it is, five, I think. So we'r re not in a bad spot at all. This is all about us really rediscovering our identity. Last night was a good start in that direction in terms of the intensity defensively, the havoc we caused. That's what we did early in the season, which led to a lot of offense in transition, open threes. So the game is connected. Our defense has to help our offense and vice-versa.

03:20 Coach, going back to Paris coaching Kevin (Durant), how there was a time where people were wondering if he was going to play or not, how did you evaluate things at that time and feel comfortable playing them? And 2) how has this game evolved in any way since his days here?

03:40 So the Paris part, you're referring to his injury. Yeah. Yeah, that was — he was injured in Vegas, I think, after the first practice or two. And as soon as we got the report from the training staff that it was likely a two-week injury, we knew it was a no-brainer to let him heal on his own, And even if we only had him for the last two games, he's Kevin Durant. So there was never a moment where we didn't think we were going to be without him. We just didn't know exactly when he was going to come back. But he's the greatest American Olympian of all-time on the men's side. The style of play suits him perfectly. I think the USA Basketball culture, the camaraderie with his fellow stars, I think he loves all that. And so coaching him in Tokyo and then again in Paris, and going way back to Oakland here, he is who he is. He's, to me, the greatest combination of size and skill that the league has ever seen and he's still going strong at whatever age he is now. He's still an unstoppable force. I don't think it's changed that much, frankly. I mean, I just feel like after the first four or five years in OKC where he really figured out where his shots could come from, how to sort of take advantage of the NBA rules and the flow of the game, to me he's been the same guy. Like, he's going to do what he does.

05:27 Quick follow-up on him. Obviously, he's one of the greatest scorers of all time. What aspect of his scoring ability stands out to you the most?

05:37 I think it's impossible to challenge his shot. I just — it's so rare when you see anybody actually bother the shot. And it's because of his incredible fluidity with his movement combined with his skill, combined with his length. He just has a knack for kind of wiggling free, getting to a spot and then rising up and then by the time he releases it, the ball's ten feet in the air. It's like nobody's going to get to that.

06:05 And speaking of Kevin, how do you embrace the challenge then of trying to defend against him? And is it kind of special for you that when you get it — it's like a homecoming when you get a guy like Kevin coming back here.

06:16 Yeah, it's always great to see him. He had had so much history here. It wasn't a long history, but it was a rich history. Three years, three finals, two finals MVPs. That's never forgotten. And a lot of great times and a lot of stress as well and everything in between. But that's kind of the beauty of a championship quest, when you're on top of the mountain and you're fighting off all comers, there's so much that goes into it and so much emotion. And in the end, you always have those memories together. And now I've got a couple more great memories with two gold medals, watching him in Tokyo and in Paris and coaching him. Yeah, I've been very blessed to have that opportunity, that's for sure.

07:13 How tough is it for you to try to defend him when you say he's up there?

07:18 Yeah, I mean, I think everybody tries to do the same thing. You just try to knock him off his spot and not let him get comfortable. And that's — so you've got to do a lot of work early. You can't let him just walk into shots. You've got to be ready for help, but then you've got to be ready to rotate because he's good passer. And so there's a reason, like I said, the reason he is who he is. He's unstoppable.

07:46 Steve, Jonathan last night, four dunks, five layups, attacked the rim like you want to see, but how do you get that kind of offensive force from him consistently when you guys are whole, when you have Steph, you have Draymond, because it seems like it's been a little easier for him without those guys on the floor?

07:58 Yeah, it's like you were in our coaches meeting too. No, that's the question. The downhill, both on and off the ball. Off the ball is even more important. What I saw from JK sprinting the floor, sprinting the wings, running through the catch, BP had a cross-court pass to him that JK was running forward, caught it and laid it in. At times that play is a catch on the perimeter. We need that run-through and when he does that, it's unstoppable. I thought last night was his best game since he's been here at that particular dynamic that you're talking about, the force and the pace of his running and his movement and constantly going towards the basket. He had the baseline cut when Wiggs found him, the bounce pass for the dunk. So that's the next step for JK and for us. How can we get him to do that consistently? And can he do that when he's on the floor with Steph and Draymond and not getting the ball as much? I know he can. I thought last night was a great indication of that. And so we're going to keep plugging away. And I have no doubt he's gonna get there. This guy is — he works hard and he's talented. He wants it. It's just nothing more than experience and feeling all this stuff. But it's doesn't happen right away.

09:38 Sort of a natural follow up to that, he had 14 free throw attempts last night and you guys historically, I don't think, have gotten to the free throw line enough for a lot, as much as you want to, right? How much of a asset can that be when he gets to the line that much and, I mean, he made most of them, 11-for-14?

09:54 Right, right. And so there's kind of a domino effect of everything. Steph being out meant he had the ball in his hands way more than he would normally. So can we get the ball in his hands more, even when Steph and Draymond are on the floor? If so, what does that require? It requires awareness and understanding of what Steph's gravity, what's he doing on the weak side, moving the ball quickly. So it's all part of the growth of JK and of our team, and for us as a staff, trying to get that balance between giving JK the space and the opportunities, but also, leaning into Steph and the movement and the flow. And putting all that together is the biggest challenge, but that's what we're shooting for.

10:49 There's one more coming, a question. Is there a model of a player that you can either mention to him or you guys talk amongst themselves that he can, okay, do kind of that? Aaron Gordon is someone, maybe, because of the way he plays off of Jokic, the way it's a secondary move that turns into a primary move. Do you have other examples of something in your mind that right now when he's on the floor with Steph, could be some kind of model for him?

11:15 Not really. We talked about it a little bit early in his career, but I think he's very unique to himself and every player kind of has to find his own game and his own identity. And it's, again, it's not easy when you get thrown into the fire in the NBA without having a lot of experience either in college or growing up. And so this whole process has been largely based on exactly what you're talking about, who is he? What is he as a player? Last night, to me, was the example of who he's gotta be with the force, with the constant sprinting, using that incredible athleticism when he doesn't have the ball. And we talk about it. We're going to keep hammering that home. If he can get consistent with that, I have no doubt he's going to take off. And I'm excited about that.

12:13 With one of those plays you mentioned with him running through the catch, I think I know what you're talking about, but I feel like Utah was really good at that a few years ago with (coach Quin) Snyder. Are there ways to manufacture that kind of advantage with scheme?

12:28 Yeah, yeah. And we work on that all the time. And that's — he's probably more capable of using that dynamic than anybody because of his power and his force. Jordan Poole was pretty good with that, running through the catch. No matter how fast the guy who's guarding you is, if you're running this way and I'm running that way, I can create separation. But you add to that a world-class athlete like JK, with that force of momentum coming downhill, running through the catch, it's pretty dynamic. So yeah, we work on it. We work on it a lot.

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