Podz offers odd answer when asked about Kerr’s youngsters comment originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
As the Warriors go all-in on pairing a quartet of youngsters with Steph Curry and a veteran Warriors team, the goal has been to get Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Trayce Jackson-Davis to gel alongside the two-time NBA MVP.
That process has been trickier than expected, especially this season with the young core struggling to find their way.
But a ball-movement-heavy possession late in the Warriors’ 113-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves stood out to coach Steve Kerr, who finished his postgame press conference by emphasizing that the young players still are trying to learn how to play with Curry.
Kerr’s comments were relayed to Podziemski after the game, and the second-year NBA guard offered a puzzling response.
“I don’t really think. I just play,” Podziemski told reporters. “When I’m out there and I’m open, I shoot it. If not, I make a play. I don’t really look too much into. I know we have Steph Curry on the court and if he’s open, I’m going throw the ball to him. I don’t really look too deep into those messages.”
The message Kerr delivered after the game was fairly pointed.
“That’s what we’re trying to impart on our young players,” Kerr told reporters. “We have Steph Curry on our team. So, pass the ball. Move the ball. And if Steph gets off it early, because he’s gained an advantage, now the defense is scrambling.
“This is how we’ve played for 10 years, and it’s important for our young players to understand — we don’t need contested 17-footers with 12 [seconds] on the shot clock. That’s a bad shot. I talked to our guys about that during several timeouts. It’s something we have to recognize and get better with.
“When you have Steph Curry on your team, you pass the ball. Because if you pass it two or three times, the defense is scrambling. All hell breaks loose. So it’s a choice: We can either do that and win games, or we can shoot a whole bunch of 15-foot contested shots in the middle of the shot clock and be a lousy NBA team. It’s up to us, and we are hammering that point home with our team.”
The Warriors have high hopes for Podziemski, who was an All-Rookie First-Team selection last season. The Santa Clara product has struggled this season but he found his footing Saturday night, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting in 20 minutes off the bench.
It’s unclear if Podziemski was caught off guard by the nature of the question or if he’s actually not listening to messages coming from the coaching staff.
it’s the latter, Kerr and the Warriors might have an issue they need to address.
