KERR: Iguodala “makes my job much easier”; DiVincenzo “fits right in”; Looney yoga, “crucial…for us”
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TIMESTAMPS/QUOTES
0:00 • Steve Kerr on having Andre Iguodala back: “It just makes my job so much easier…and he loves working with the younger guys…he knows exactly where he needs to be…he makes every lineup click…really crucial part of our whole program.” (CJ Holmes)
0:48 • On what he’s seen from the other guys: “I’m really thrilled with James’ progress. He feels great. Looks great. The knee is fine. Also, mentally he’s picking up concepts much quicker.”
1:57 • On minutes distribution for Japan: “Not yet.”
2:10 • On the biggest challenges of starting the season in Japan: “Normally we would have about six practices before our first game…the flight obviously not ideal…we know the bigger picture in this, growing the game…good chance for us to bond as a team…see a beautiful country…it’s all mostly positive.”
3:07 • On how much jet lag will slow the process: “I think we’ll be okay…when we get back we’ve got a couple of weeks.”
3:43 • On expectations on-court in Japan: “I know what I’m gonna get from the older guys, there’s a flow and a continuity that was there on the first day of practice…get on the same page on both ends (for the younger guys)…defense needs to be organized and our offense has to have spacing and rhythm.”
4:32 • On if the young guys from last season have elements of organization, spacing, rhythm: “too early to really see that…biggest aspect of being with the team now (for another season)…there’s a much better comfort level.”
5:27 • On Andre praising second unit: “We’ll see. I thought last year’s second unit was pretty special…Otto and Gary…Beli…I like the talent level (Moody, JK, Jordan)…but the ability has to be matched by knowledge…for us as a staff we have to figure out what the combinations are…you always include a couple starters in that second group.”
6:30 • On Andre’s praise of Donte DiVincenzo: “Donte fits right in with the way we play…Thrilled to have Donte. I think he could make a big impact on our team this year.” (95.7 The Game)
7:10 • On Looney’s career: “The growth is the main thing…we didn’t pickup his option…perseverance and professionalism and maturity…every morning I come into my office, I look down and Loon’s doing yoga in the corner of the gym by himself…he’s had to change his diet…learned how to play (from and with Draymond, Andre, Steph and Klay).”
8:34 • On being astonished by Looney’s play in the playoffs: “Yeah. He became an elite rebounder…his finishing around the rim…a couple years ago there were a whole lot of pump fakes and now he’s figured out how to sneak that lay-in into the hoop before the defense can get there…using his body to shield the shot-blocker…what he means to the team now is pretty dramatic, the screen-setting, the ball-handling, all the DHOs he runs…crucial player for us.”
9:33 • On how much teaching there is for the new guys: “That’s what training camp is about. We do station work where they’re going from one basket to the next where they’re doing a certain drill…these next ten days or so, the first couple weeks of the season are the most intensive practices that we have and the most important practices that we have all year.”
10:24 • On if that’s unusual for a team coming off the Finals: “Yeah. Yeah, for sure because those other teams had much more set rotations. Maybe we had a player or two coming in fighting for a rotation spot.” (me)
[quotes continued on our website https://letsgowarriors.com]
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NOTE: From Golden State Warriors practice, held at Chase Center in San Francisco, CA on Monday, September 26, 2022, day before flight to Japan.