Warriors camp takeaways: Kerr pleased with players’ conditioning originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
LAIE, Hawaii – Building blocks continue to grow and are stacked on top of each other at Military training camp on the BYU-Hawaii campus. Golden State scrimmaged Thursday, but did not go full court during practice after doing so the day before.
Coach Steve Kerr is “really happy” with the conditioning and form his group has come into camp. Transition defense and offense is a key emphasis entering the 2024-25 NBA season after falling down the rankings last season and not playing their particular style of basketball. To Kerr, the Warriors’ play there has been unacceptable in that regard the past two seasons.
Chris Paul’s style of play to slow the game down and get into a set offense more often is not the product that will be seen on the floor this season.
Here are five takeaways from the third day of Warriors training camp, which featured commentary from Kerr, Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson.
Run, Run, Run
Speed, tiring out teams and pushing the pace is back for the Warriors. During Wednesday’s scrimmage, Jonathan Kuminga sprinting down the floor and into the lane created an open 3-pointer for a teammate. That’s one example that will make Kerr happy.
He also feels the Warriors have the right players at the right ages to get back to being a track team on the hardwood.
“With [Brandin Podziemski], [De’Anthony] Melton and our other guys handle the ball behind Steph [Curry]we feel like it makes a lot of sense to play fast and we have the right personnel to do it,” Kerr said. “But the only way it works is if we take care of the ball and get good shots, and that’s what we’re really working on .”
The Warriors lost two future Hall of Fame players during the offseason in Paul and Klay Thompson. The two are also at the end of their careers at 39 and 34 years old. Podziemski is still 21 and Melton is 26.
Rookie Kyle Anderson, 31, can feel the different compared to his previous teams.
“Obviously you have to be in shape to play fast,” said the man nicknamed Slo Mo. “The first day was a little tough. I’ll speak for myself, but I think the last two days I kind of picked it up. It’s different being in shape and basketball shape.
“We fly up the court, we get back to defense in transition. You have to get your legs under you.”
No Wiggins
Although Kerr continues to keep his jumps under wraps when it comes to the starting lineup, all are expected to play in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Clippers. All but Andrew Wiggins.
Wiggins is still under the weather. He was seen wearing a mask and getting shots on the sideline after practices.
As Kerr and his coaching staff put in new facilities and look for the right combinations, he’s not worried about Wiggins missing time anytime soon.
“It’s why he was here,” Kerr said. “He wears his mask, he’s on the sideline every day and he watches exactly what we’re doing. We’re basically doing things that he’s very familiar with, but we’re putting terminology on them. We’re trying to be more purposeful, we’re trying to put in some counters to things we’ve already taken care of.
“It’s important for him to be here and watch all this. I’m sure he’ll get the hang of it.”
A GP2 Melton Pair?
Along with getting better in transition, Kerr wants the Warriors’ identity to return to being a top defensive team. healthy Gary Payton II will help a lot. It can Melton’s additionA 6-foot-2 guard who troubled the opposition with a 6-8 wingspan.
Kerr can definitely see times where the two are on the court together giving the other team fits.
“Could be a good combination in the backcourt pressuring the ball, playing passing routes,” Kerr said. “They’ll both be in the rotation, considering how they’ve looked the first few days.”
Before Melton’s campaign last season with the Philadelphia 76ers was cut short by a back injury, he averaged 11.8 points per game. The past two seasons, he produced 58.1 and 58.0 true-shooting percentage, and will be in the mix to be the starting two guards of the Warriors.
“The ball moves when he’s out there,” Kerr said. “He’s a combo guard, so he can handle it or play with the ball. He’s a catch-and-shoot guy. The game just flows with him out there, and that’s meaningful. We can’t stagnate, the ball can’t stick and what I see from De’Anthony is that he’s a connector. The ball will move when he’s out there. If he’s open, he’ll let it fly and that’s what we want.”
Buddy Buckets
The only thing Hield had on Thursday was doing his media time during Curry’s post-practice shootaround. Hield said he wouldn’t have been drafted as high if it weren’t for Curry and he’s trying to soak up all he can by looking at him as a fellow big shot.
Every practice so far, it’s been impossible to see the many shots that Hield gets up. He works with assistant coach Chris DeMarco, who was a “big brother” to him for years as his head coach on the Bahamas national team.
But given how successful Hield has been shooting the ball, he may be making a slight change.
“He’s got a high-arcing shot,” Hield said of Curry. “They keep talking about how my shot is so flat. I shot 40 percent my entire career. I’m working on keeping my shot higher though. I might get a higher percentage.”
Hield, who has shot over 40 percent from deep three times in his career and has an accurate 40.0 3-point percentage, further explained: “If I get more arc I could shoot at a higher percentage. I think as you get older, you want to get better. You can’t forget how to shoot, but you can always get better. … When I shoot it higher, it goes in a lot nicer.”
Moody Putting In Overtime
For the second straight day, Moses Moody was the last player on the court putting up shots. Kerr made it a point to name Moody as a player who stood out in scrimmages during the Warriors’ second practice, and where he fits in will be intriguing to watch.
“I like that he catches and shoots the ball quickly,” Kerr said. “He’s a good shooter. I’ve always felt his No. 1 pitch – if you’re a pitcher and your No. 1 pitch is your fastball, you’ve got to figure out what your fastball is and his should be his 3-point shot. It takes a while when you’re young in the NBA to figure out how to make your shot, how fast, how much time you have.
“It feels like he has a much better feel for catching and shooting. He has the space to let it go. Set your game with that, and then when people respond, that’s when you can attack. He’s done a really good job of that.”
With Wiggins out Saturday, look for Moody to be a player to potentially step up in his absence.
