[95.7] “Klay’s going through a bit of a rut. He’s still a helluva player and a guy we’re going to need & count on, but this last week there’s been a few games where it felt like it was right to close with someone else. He’s embraced it. He’s accepted it.” Steve Kerr w/ @WillardAndDibs .
"Klay's going through a bit of a rut. He's still a helluva player and a guy we're going to need & count on, but this last week there's been a few games where it felt like it was right to close with someone else. He's embraced it. He's accepted it."
Steve Kerr w/ @WillardAndDibs.
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) February 7, 2024
by NokCha_
5 Comments
>He’s embraced it. He’s accepted it.
Don’t lie to us Steve
Full transcript of the roughly 5 minute segment/discussion with Steve about Klay:
>**Dibs:** Where’s Klay in terms of his overall confidence level and his game here now that he’s been not in the finishing lineup in a couple of these games?
>
>**Steve**: Yeah, we’ve talked and, you know, that’s all part of it. You know, the communication that happens with each guy based on his own circumstances. **And so right now, Klay’s going through a little bit of a rut, but he’s still a hell of a player and a guy that we’re going to need and that we’re going to count on. This last week, there’s just been a few games where, you know, it just felt like it was the right thing to do to close with someone else just based on how the games were going. He’s embraced it. He’s accepted it really well. I thought his comments after the game last night were perfect. Talking about the young guys and how happy he was for them. He’s handling it really well.** It’s just kind of part of it for him. This has been a rough patch for him.
>
>**Willard:** Yeah, coach, I’d say the comments were definitely good teammate comments, but at the same time, he’s definitely frustrated. And with everything that the two of you have been together, been through together, I wonder what this has been like, to make decisions like this, how much of a challenge has that been for you?
>
>**Steve:** Well, when you know somebody for a decade, you know, there’s a lot of trust that’s built up. And we’ve been through everything together, and, you know, the same goes for Steph and Draymond. These relationships are really grounded and founded in trust and respect. So, you know, these are, as I said, difficult decisions, but they’re ones that, you know, that I have to make as a head coach and that Klay has to accept as a member of the team and doesn’t make it easy, but it does mean that we just have to keep communicating and we’ll for sure do that.
>
>**Willard:** Well, Steve, this is a difficult question to ask, but I’m gonna ask it. Do you feel like Klay has an accurate acceptance of where he is in his career, particularly after what he’s physically been through?
>
>**Steve:** I just think Klay is going through what most, if not all, athletes go through at some point where you’re not quite the same guy as you were, you know, five years ago. And it’s okay to admit that and it’s okay to accept it. **One of the things that we’ve talked about a lot this year, not only for Klay individually, but for our team is as we get older, how can we win in the margins? What can we do incrementally better this year to, you know, to make up for the fact that we’re a little older?**
>
>**So, those are conversations that I have with players and conversations I have with our team. And they definitely, you know, apply to Klay, that when he becomes a playmaker out there and moves the ball, he is at his best. And I think he’s still an elite shooter, I mean, even during what for him is a down shooting year, he’s still, you know, 37, 38%, which is really good for three. But when he’s coming off screens and hitting Looney or Trayce Jackson-Davis for a dunk or swinging the ball on the weak side, we become a better team. And so we talk about things like that and I think sometimes Klay is just so hard on himself and he expects so much from himself that he just wants to make every shot. And it can’t be about the shooting. It’s got to be about everything else.**
>
>**Dibs:** Does that make it harder on Klay though? Because, you know, we all talk about the Klaymaker game and the Splash Brothers and all the shooting that he’s done. And when the shots not there, do you see that it might be difficult for Klay to really find his footing on this team?
>
>**Steve:** No, I don’t think there’s any problem with him finding his footing on this team. I just think that, you know, I wouldn’t know what it feels like to be Klay. But imagine, you know, being that good, you know, scoring 38 in a quarter, 60 in 3 quarters, and then, you know, two career-threatening injuries later and you’re trying to find it. That can’t be easy, you know, and that can’t be easy.
>
>**So I think that the main thing is he’s still a very good player. He still represents something for us that’s very important, which is the floor spacing, the defense, the versatility. He still has that, it’s just different. And I think that, you know, part of the challenge for him and for us is just to adapt to that, to adapt to those changing circumstances and still be, you know, a player who impacts winning, which he always has.**
Kerr and Klay embracing the fact he may not close every game is a step in the right direction. I don’t want to put this all on Klay since another part of this has been Kerr trying to protect his guy by refusing to go with other options down the stretch unless Klay is looking completely unplayable for multiple games. Having a quicker trigger on the these decisions is all I ask. Coming off the bench may just be something for next season once Klays contract is settled and he can fully accept that role.
Klay is in a tough spot, he’s trying to adapt and we are seeing that process play out publicly.
Most of us have the luxury of our shit playing out privately.
He will get there, and the roster will be the better for it.
I never thought I’d see the day when Kerr starts to learn that sometimes your vets aren’t always the best option..