SAN FRANCISCO – For the almost entirety of his 11 years in charge of the Warriors, coach Steve Kerr has rued his team’s propensity to turn the ball over.
He could always live with the giveaways that are a product of positive aggression by Steph Curry and his superstars. But the turnovers that are born of carelessness? Those he has eternally sought to eliminate.
The latter kind of turnovers have plagued the Warriors through much of the first half of the season, perhaps equal parts a product of an ever-shifting rotation, a compacted schedule and fatigue both mental and physical.
After months of harping on these errors in film study and practices, Kerr finally went to an unconventional method to inspire change.
“We’re just not talking about it anymore, so it seems to be working,” Kerr said.
Kerr had to be joking, right? Actually, he was dead serious.
“I just don’t mention the word, I just say, ‘Hit singles, be solid, solid wins the game’ and I’m not bringing it up anymore,” Kerr said. “Just bury your head in the sand like an ostrich.”
The stats show that this tactic — which Kerr also used in 2022 — has worked.
The Warriors had seven turnovers against the Clippers despite playing most of the fourth without Kerr, an even 10 against the Bucks and just 11 in a blowout victory over the Kings.
“It’s a good life lesson,” Kerr said. “Just ignore all of your problems, and never acknowledge them, and don’t look in the mirror and they’ll get fixed.”
The Warriors are still 23rd in the league in turnovers at 15.7 per game, but progress is being made.
Of course, the players are still well aware of the importance of maintaining possession, even if their coach has turned to a strategy of silence.
“We have to walk that fine line,” Curry said. “Even though the coach has said he’s not talking bout it anymore, we’re mindful that it’s a key to us winning games.”
Warriors set to face new-look Hawks
Though the trade deadline is still almost a month away, the Hawks got an early start on reshaping their roster by trading star point guard Trae Young to the Wizards in exchange for Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum.
Those two new additions are set to make their Atlanta debut against the Warriors. McCollum is a 12-year veteran who emerged as a star in Portland next to Oakland native Damian Lillard. He has recently spent time with New Orleans and the Wizards.
Kispert was the 15th pick in the 2021 NBA draft and is a career 38.3% 3-point shooter.
Non-injury report
The Warriors entered Sunday’s game with a nearly clean bill of health. The only Golden State player listed, aside from two-way players LJ Cryer and Malevy Leons, was Seth Curry. The 35-year-old has been battling sciatica for weeks and has not played since Dec. 4.
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