Super in-depth coverage of Kerr’s season

This story is a must-read for Warriors fans: an amazing, far-reaching, high-access view of Kerr’s 2025-26 season and indeed his whole life. There are lots of details about his fight against chronic pain, his lifelong struggle to deal with his own trauma around his father’s killing, and how his new therapy tries to address both together.

Here are a very small number of quotes, but I easily could have quoted 4x as much.

Kerr had gotten a call from someone on the team’s business side. They wanted him to stop calling the team a fading dynasty. Season ticket renewals were going out. They were looking to strike a rosier note. He agreed to stop but he thought they were letting an opportunity pass, that he could sell this idea to the team, especially Steph and Draymond, who would feel most alive in the struggle. That he could sell this idea to himself.

Both Kerr and Robinson were on that Team USA staff. Steve was the head coach. Steph hadn’t shot well in the first few games of the 2024 Olympics. At an optional practice before the semifinal, he was one of only a handful of players to show up.

“Steph had one of the most impressive workouts I’ve ever seen,” Kerr said. “He would take a shot then not shoot the ball and work on footwork for 15 minutes, then take another 15 shots. He repeated it for the next hour and a half.”

He hit nine threes in the semifinal victory over Serbia, and eight more in the gold medal win over France. But it’s the practice Kerr remembered. A craftsman at work, like John McPhee’s birchbark canoe maker.

They played the Nets at home in a few hours. He’d been talking to Margot and they both agreed this should be his last season with the Warriors. He felt so grateful. He was the luckiest coach in the history of the NBA, he said, because he’d lucked into 12 years of Steph Curry. All he wanted was a classy end. If he burned the place down on the way out, then everything he said he was about was a lie. He wondered how he should announce it. He wanted to tell Lacob and Dunleavy privately, and Steph and Draymond privately, but he didn’t want it to leak and for anyone to feel disrespected. He described a vision he had of walking into the locker room after the season and telling the team. That felt badass, he told me. Maybe he should invite all four of the major stakeholders to his house.

He had time to think about it. He felt at peace, he said, but then he started talking about the things he loved about the game, and about his values, about being on the road with the team. He talked about how much he loved the 4:30 coaches meeting he had this afternoon. “I’m going to miss it terribly,” he said.

And this incredibly introspective summary of Kerr’s life and character.

“Coaching has unlocked the best version of myself,” he told me in March. “I have to constantly be evolving, thinking, growing. I have to work on myself, learning how to be kinder and gentler to myself the same way I am with others. And I’ve had to learn to fight this very human instinct that I’m not good enough. Like most people, I’m insecure. I want to be great but I don’t really know if I am or not, but I’ve learned the value of just being really kind and competitive at the same time. I’ve lived this charmed existence, an amazing life, a blessed, fortunate one, but I’ve also been through some s--- with my dad’s death and my own health the last decade. I think I’m scared that I will lose that daily engagement and purpose that not only feeds my soul, but helps me deal with my literal chronic daily pain. If I knew I could retire and go do the physical stuff that I love, it would be a lot easier. But I can’t do a lot of that stuff anymore. So I’m scared of being at home without the constant engagement and friendships that coaching brings me!”

And I can’t tell you how much I like this paragraph.

They got fired up. Kerr called Steph and told him the news. A new energy, born of the new last dance, started its steady drumbeat. They all heard it. This was an energy, born of connection between Joe, Mike, Steve, Steph and Draymond, who went on the "Inside the NBA" studio set and repeated all the themes Kerr had written to him in his letter: They might not win a title, but they would fight, and make opponents pay dearly for a win, and play hard to set the team up for success when they're all gone.

I think a lot of American fans (and maybe a lot of you… I’m not sure) simply won’t be able to understand this. It’s so deep in our culture about how winning the championship is the only thing and everything else is pointless. This is the stupidest and most toxic part of the American sports ideology.

Playing the game right; losing with character; building a legacy that outlasts you; these things matter and are the most relevant life lessons for us all. These ideals uplift us all and make sports worth playing. They also are horribly lacking in the modern way of sports. I really look forward to seeing Kerr and Steph try to ride into the sunset living up to these ideals.

The 2026 NBA Lottery

• Sunday, May 10, 12:00 noon PT

• Watch: ABC/ESPN

In case you have never watched the lottery before, usually there is a brief introduction of all the team’s representatives, and then they start opening envelopes from pick #14 all the way down to pick #1, revealing the post-lottery order of selection.

Everyone nods patiently as each team is revealed in its expected pre-lottery spot. Then everyone gasps when a team does not appear in its expected place, because that means they are in the top four. All you have to do is wait until they reveal pick number 11. If the Warriors have not already appeared in those first four reveals, then they have won a top four spot.

If you see GSW in the first four, then you can turn off the TV in disgust. Or you can stay to see who wins, either is acceptable.

Most importantly, once GSW’s draft spot is finalized, we can begin the assembly of the 2026 Draft Tournament.

From Kurt Helin:

This is the last year the NBA will use this system to determine its draft order for teams that don’t make the playoffs. Only the first four picks are determined by the lottery, picks 5-30 follow the reverse standings of whoever is left (although trades will impact which team actually makes those selections).

The system uses 14 numbered ping-pong balls, put into a lottery machine, creating 1001 possible combinations. Four numbered balls are randomly extracted at a time, and each lottery team is assigned a certain number of those combinations, based on its record, which gives us the odds for each team. This random extraction process is completed four times to select the top four picks.

Also note that representatives from the teams and the media are present for the drawing, so it is quite difficult to fix the lottery.

Focus on the Warriors

I hope Kerr and Lacob decide his future after the lottery. GSW with a Top 4 pick is a completely different team to coach than a #11 pick. Kerr could be the coach either way, but I think if you get Top 4, you have to build around that guy and strategize Steph eventually passing the torch to him.

Here’s ESPN’s take:

No. 1 pick odds: 2% | Top-four pick odds: 9.4%

Most likely pick if they stay at No. 11: Karim Lopez, SF/PF, New Zealand Breakers

Similar to Milwaukee, the direction Golden State takes here will be indicative of where the franchise’s goals lie. The Warriors can try to continue to maximize the final phase of Stephen Curry‘s career with a more NBA-ready prospect, or they could take a longer view. Assuming they don’t move up, this would become an interesting juncture in the draft, with the top freshmen all potentially off the board.

Lopez might marry those two goals, with a good mix of size, skill, feel and pro experience for a teenage prospect. On the other end of the age spectrum, forward Yaxel Lendeborg should get a long look from the Warriors because of his versatility to plug in right away.

What I’m hearing on the Warriors: Golden State’s offseason questions begin at the top, with Steve Kerr’s future unresolved. Whether to push forward to try to contend with 38-year-old Curry, after missing the playoffs twice in the past three seasons (and with Jimmy Butler III recovering from ACL surgery), is a difficult question.

With all their draft picks back (they owe their 2030 first to Dallas only if it’s Nos. 21-30), this is a window for the Warriors to pick a direction, although the changes to the lottery likely make it harder to justify a full-on rebuild over the next couple of seasons.

Eric Apricot says: This is an original series that analyzes and ranks the Top 75ish NBA players of all time, written by a friend of DubNationHQ.com. Some of you will be angered, some will think you can do better, but hopefully everyone can find something to enjoy in this journey appreciating the great historical achievements by past and present players.

As we await Steve Kerr’s decision and the NBA playoffs claims its first victims in Kevin Durant’s Rockets (again) and, more shockingly, Nikola Jokic, I find myself drawn back to my lair.

Toiling deep in my NBA dungeon, surrounded by noxious fumes from my vast array of potions, imbibed due to the boredom of a Steph-less playoffs and insane NBA offseason rumors, I, Dr Duncan Stein, found myself slipping into a trance…

Upon awakening, a terrifying vision struck, clear as day. It unfolded and imprinted itself upon my brain, the events of the next year laid bare, clear as day. I had no choice but to crank the handle and prod our BEAST to explore the speculative impacts of such events.

But first, events, dear boy, events.

What shall transpire in the 2026-27 NBA season

The offseason

Draft night 2026. Steve Kerr has returned with the promise of putting together a team to chase down the Wemby-led Spurs. For this he requires warm fresh bodies. Enter Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan’s winning all action forward. Ancient by draft standards, yet a spring chicken compared to the Warriors dastardly plans, Dunleavy snaffles him up with the 11th pick.

As free agency awaits LeBron James’s latest decision, Draymond Green opts out and takes a two-year extension for $40m, lining him up with Steph who has added another year onto his deal. This enables the Warriors to use Bird rights to sign Porzingis to a similar contract above the full mid-level exception, opening up the non-taxpayer mid level.

LeBron James breaks his silence, announcing he will join the Warriors in his final season for that very same MLE, recreating a version of the Team USA Avengers in the face of Wembanyama’s ascent. After all, they reason, it worked the first time around.

Kevin Durant, fresh off the insanity of playing almost the most minutes in the league at 37 and the realities of having to deal with the Houston Rockets accepts an incoming call from LeBron.

Dunleavy’s masterstroke move follows. With the Rockets needing a new star wing and the Clippers needing draft picks galore MDJ hoodwinks the Warriors’ most hated rivals into a three-way deal. KD returns to Golden State to finish the unfinished business of 7 years ago. Kawhi goes to Houston, giving them a veteran All-NBA wing (so they think!). The Warriors send their two future picks (27 and 30), Will Richard, and a swap to the Clippers along with Jimmy Butler and his contract.

A sad day for all as Jimmy’s all-too-brief tenure was a delight, but at least his BEAST place has been secured, and any potential contract year sourness artfully dodged.

The Warriors round out the roster. Melton finds a depressed market after shooting sub 30% from three and returns for one more year with Celebrini. Kevon Looney returns to replace Al Horford (who bolts back to Boston) after being unceremoniously cut free by a Pelicans front office that operates as if it were an actual pelican (if that is not a tad unfair to pelicans).

The Warriors enter the season with the unlikely-to-ever-be-healthy lineup of:

• Curry $62.6m

• Podz $5.7m

• KD $43.9m

• LeBron $15m (MLE)

• Porzingis $20m (extension)

• Melton $3.5m

• (Moody) $12.5m

• Gui $4.6m

• Yaxel $6m

• Dray $20m (extension)

• That mo’fo Pat $2.5m

• Bronny $2.5m (of course)

• GP2 $2.5m

• Loondawg $2.5m

Total salaries just under $205m (allowing for some wriggle room under the $209m 1st apron hardcap triggered by use of the full MLE)

The 2026-27 season

The Warriors finally nail the late Spurs model of veteran stars playing under 30 minutes per game and a strong second tier of rotation players with complementary and flexible skill sets able to dial up or down as needed. They clinch the three seed partly thanks to an unbeaten record on the front end of a miraculously league-low back-to-backs (let’s just call it the LeBron effect) and the efforts of Dr. Rick who craftily keeps the mileage down (the very antithesis of Houston’s method) and Porzingis alive.

This is greatly aided by an improving Podz and Gui building on their late season progress and playing all 82, and Yaxel stepping right in to plug all the veteran rest gaps across the frontcourt and performing the role of key defensive stopper, earning him 6th man of the year honours. Moody returns too at the All-Star break to give them a welcome boost on the wing. After the trade deadline Klay Thompson secures a buyout and returns to finally gracefully accept his late-career role as bench flamethrower. Dino returns to DubNationHQ and is promptly banned for jubilant trolling.

The playoffs!

They face Kawhi’s Rockets in the first round. Well they would have done if the Rockets hadn’t repeated their efforts with Kawhi leading the league in minutes before straining a limb planting a tree on his community service just ahead of the playoffs (a neat conclusion to the Aspiration saga).

The Rockets young guns have no answer. The Warriors waltz to a 3-0 lead. Kerr rests the vets for game 4. Podz grifts his way to 30 drawing begrudging respect from a crowd who once cheered James Harden’s every free throw. Yaxel throws in a triple double. Bronny hits a three. The brooms break out in Houston for yet another playoff exit at the Warriors hands.

The rest proves vital as the competition takes it up a notch. They face the Thunder, who have been knocked off their #1 regular season top spot by the terrifying spectacle of Wemby actualised. It’s a tough battle but with Moody unleashed, Melton supporting, and the whistle mysteriously vanishing (let’s call it the LeBron effect), Shai is contained. Porzingis battles Chet to a unicorn-off stand-off.

On the other end a salty af and not-at-all-cupcake (whatever those signs in the stands might say) KD goes bananas averaging 40 across the series. The Warriors advance in 6.

They face that terrifying spectacle of Wemby. But over the course of the series Draymond Green wears him down, supported by our new platoon of Loondawg and Porzingis. The Spurs guards cause some no little trouble with their athleticism and speed. But on the other end Steph runs free and wild around those disorientated youngsters who can’t track him let alone Steph and KD running off screens with LeBron handling.

Nonetheless it’s an epic battle that comes down to one final possession in Game 7 in which Harrison Barnes misses a game-tying three, distracted by the presence of a fake KD-lookalike looming behind the Spurs bench, and the Warriors advance to the NBA Finals.

There they face the Miami Heat, winners of the Giannis sweepstakes. But he is not enough to overcome the Avengers. Game 1 is a tight contest but Klay, having taken a dip in the ocean at South Beach, splashes in 7 consecutive threes in one insane 5 minute burst at the start of the fourth quarter to bust it open. The Warriors steal home court and from there on in have the advantage.

With LeBron picking the Heat apart and feeding Steph and KD over and over the Heat have no real answer over the course of the series. Giannis toils mightily but can not match the combined might of the Warriors veterans. Faced with the real defense of Draymond and Loondawg, Bam Adebayo is held to 8.3ppg for the series.

The Warriors win Game 6 in a rapturous Chase Center. With the Warriors dynasty on course to win a fifth ring (Steph already having pointed at his thumb midway through the second quarter), Adam Silver, who has done so much to avoid dynasties taking hold, rage quits on the spot at half time. After a desperate search for someone to present the trophy, Andre Iguodala as Executive Director of the NBPA steps off the bench and into the breach to fill the moment in the only way he can. He hands Steph the Finals MVP trophy right in front of LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

In the aftermath of the golden glow, on the Warriors group chat Steph, LeBron, KD, Dray, Porzingis, Moody and Melton lead an effort to donate a sizeable chunk of their winnings to build a statue of Rick Celebrini. At ring night a gigantic solid gold statue of Celebrini, the likes of which has never been seen outside of a Soviet Union-era WWII memorial, is erected to tower over Chase Center. No-one can understand how the San Francisco planning department has allowed such a monstrosity to be built.

The BEAST legacies of this generation are secured

As for the impact of the prophecy above, which is what this boredom fueled exercise is really about, the first and most noteworthy outcome is that LeBron would just edge past the top spot over Jordan clearly settling the Goat debate once and for all (lol). James adds 30 championship points in his age-42 season, becoming only the second player to top 1000 BEAST points. Currently Jordan has a slight advantage which basically boils down to peak of winning vs longevity. But a fifth ring is a capper on an incredible career and elevates that longevity to a new stratosphere.

Perhaps more importantly for this Warriors crowd, the impact on Steph’s ranking would be significant. Currently Steph sits around 90 points behind Kareem for the third spot, just ahead of Magic. A fifth ring, and Finals MVP spoils, more playoff and Finals moments, would vault him much closer, more than slicing that lead right down. With Steph likely to play a few more years and rack up more counting stats he will continue to rack up some more statistical points.

Alongside this, a subsequently enraged Wembanyama laying waste to the NBA for the next decade, and Jokic continuing to rack up the counting stats, will gradually erode Kareem’s advantage as he is knocked down a spot or two on various lists from which he currently derives a significant chunk of his points. As it stands as the top big man in NBA history he’s most at risk from the newer generation of Wembanyama and Jokic racing up those charts.

The impact of that is that by the time Steph retires he would likely be third in our BEAST rankings.

LeBron, Jordan, Steph as the top three when all is said and done? Sounds about right to me.

Meanwhile KD’s 3rd ring vaults him into the top 10, leaving Shaq and Bird following behind, and closing in on Wilt Chamberlain. With Jokic’s rumbling up through the top 15 somewhat slowed by his latest playoff stumble and the clock running out on him winning more rings, KD’s place in the top 10 is secure for now. He can finally put down the burners.

Beyond that the top echelons are effectively set until the inevitable Wembanyama revolution takes hold. Legacies are set, and I can finally rest my weary head, but not until I’ve actually crunched the numbers and updated our BEAST properly. Which if all that happens I promise to.

Fever Dream Rankings Update

In the meantime with the huge caveat that all the stats rankings and points for awards would need updating and of course this year’s title winners reflected etc, let’s imagine that if this fevered dream should come to pass, the post 2027 BEAST rankings could look something like this:

• ?? Victor Wembanyama [he’s coming for us all]

• *83 Jrue Holiday (94 BEAST points)

• 82 Toni Kukoc (96 BEAST points)

• —----------

• *81 Jimmy Butler (101 BEAST points)

• 80 Bill Walton (107 BEAST points)

• *78 (tied) Joel Embiid (111 BEAST points)

• 78 (tied) Dave Cowens (111 BEAST points)

• 76 (tied) Dikembe Mutombo (112 BEAST points)

• *76 (tied) Russell Westbrook (112 BEAST points)

• 75 Clyde Drexler (115 BEAST points)

• 74 Gary Payton (117 BEAST points)

• *73 Jayson Tatum (119 BEAST points)

• 71 (tied) Horace Grant (120 BEAST points)

• 71 (tied) Chris Bosh (120 BEAST points)

• *70 Kyrie Irving (121 BEAST points)

• 69 Chauncey Billups (123 BEAST points)

• *67 (tied) Luka Doncic (124 BEAST points) (including 2026 scoring champion)

• 67 (tied) Ben Wallace (124 BEAST points)

• 66 Wes Unseld (125 BEAST points)

• 64 (tied) Patrick Ewing (127 BEAST points)

• 64 (tied) Reggie Miller (127 BEAST points)

• *63 Anthony Davis (128 BEAST points)

• 62 Dennis Johnson (130 BEAST points)

• 61 Dwight Howard (132 BEAST points)

• 60 Paul Pierce (133 BEAST points)

• 59 Willis Reed (134 BEAST points)

• 58 Andre Iguodala (135 BEAST points)

• 57 Allen Iverson (136 BEAST points)

• 56 Walt “Clyde” Frazier (137 BEAST points)

• 55 Joe Dumars (138 BEAST points)

• 54 Charles Barkley (141 BEAST points)

• 53 Tom Heinsohn (144 BEAST points)

• 52 Artis Gilmore (146 BEAST points)

• 51 Elvin Hayes (147 BEAST points)

• *50 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (157 BEAST points) (assumed 2026 MVP + bonus for consecutive MVP)

• 49 Ray Allen (162 BEAST points)

• 48 Sam Jones (164 BEAST points)

• 47 Pau Gasol (174 BEAST points)

• 46 Robert Parish (175 BEAST points)

• 45 George Mikan (176 BEAST points)

• 44 Rick Barry (179 BEAST points)

• 43 James Worthy (180 BEAST points)

• 42 Kevin McHale (183 BEAST points)

• 41 Bob Pettit (185 BEAST points)

• 40 Steve Nash (186 BEAST points)

• 39 Tony Parker (188 BEAST points)

• 38 Elgin Baylor (198 BEAST points)

• 37 Karl Malone (199 BEAST points)

• *36 James Harden (201 BEAST points)

• 35 Manu Ginobili (205 BEAST points)

• 34 Oscar Robertson (210 BEAST points)

• 33 Jason Kidd (212 BEAST points)

• *32 Klay Thompson (215 BEAST points) (5 championship role player points)

• 31 Isiah Thomas (221 BEAST points)

• 30 Moses Malone (226 BEAST points)

• 28 (tied) John Stockton (232 BEAST points)

• 28 (tied) Bob Cousy (232 BEAST points)

• 27 Dirk Nowitzki (236 BEAST points)

• *26 Giannis Antetokounmpo (240 BEAST points) (5 runner-up points)

• 25 Chris Paul (249 BEAST points)

• 24 Dennis Rodman (252 BEAST points)

• 22 (tied) David Robinson (260 BEAST points)

• 22 (tied) John Havlicek (260 BEAST points)

• *22 Kawhi Leonard (262 BEAST points)

• *21 Draymond Green (277 BEAST points) (10 contributor championship points)

• 20 Kevin Garnett (281 BEAST points)

• 19 Dwyane Wade (291 BEAST points)

• 18 Jerry West (297 BEAST points)

• *16 Nikola Jokic (307 BEAST points)

• 15 Dr. J (381 BEAST points)

• 14 Scottie Pippen (427 BEAST points)

• 13 Hakeem Olajuwon (459 BEAST points)

• 12 Shaq (516 BEAST points)

• 11 Larry Bird (518 BEAST points)

• *10 Kevin Durant (512 BEAST points) (will increase due to statistical category and any further All-Star / All-NBA etc)

• 9 Wilt Chamberlain (525 BEAST points)

• 8 Bill Russell (538 BEAST points)

• 7 Kobe Bryant (593 BEAST points)

• 6 Tim Duncan (605 BEAST points)

• 5 Magic Johnson (681 BEAST points)

• 4 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (778 BEAST points) - 20 points over time = approx 758 points max

• *3 Steph Curry (745 BEAST points) (Championship points + Finals MVP) + 15-20 points over time = likely 760+ points

• 2 Michael Jordan (1011 BEAST points)

• *1 LeBron James (1013 BEAST points) (Championship points, will accrue a few more from statistical and award feats)

*signifies current player

BOLD signifies amended points for awards/ achievements in 2025 and 2026

Italics signifies potential points amassed/ amended by the above scenario

If this madness piqued your interest in the BEAST ranking system you can relive the full series, methodology and rankings (as of All-Star break 2025 in San Francisco and with a minor update last summer) here.

As happens in the NBA, coach Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors entered this season knowing that it was the final contract year, with nothing but uncertainty behind it. “This is kind of a point in our relationship where it’s like, let’s just see how it is at the end of the year,” Kerr said at the beginning of the year. Well… it just got a little a…

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Marshall Lee on the left, Raven on the right. They have watched many a Dubs game with me, although Raven was a street player before he got badly injured and we brought his game inside. He once had mad hops but is pretty sedentary these days.

- GlueAndBold

Pet picture rotation

General offer to DNHQ…

Read more

I was just coming home from one of those deflating days at the office. It’s not so much that any of these obstacles are insurmountable, but just one of those days where looking up at the hill feels daunting. There were plenty of brooding thoughts and some parallels to the low expectations/high performance outcome Warriors game that I was feverishly tryi…

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In this episode, we break down the Warriors’ late comeback against the Clippers through a sequence of Steve Kerr play calls and in-game improvisations both on offense and defense.

With Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Al Horford, Gui Santos, Brandin Podziemski, Kawhi Leonard, Brook Lopez, Darius Garland, Jeff Van Gundy, and Pat Spencer.

Update: Okay sorry folks I uploaded the raw version, this is the correct version.

For the (un)lucky few who got to see the raw version, you got the boring long version but also got to see analysis of twice as many plays.

Previously on Explain One Play

Video #3 for the Warriors organization

This video is scheduled to be released today (2026-01-26) at 2pm Pacific at the latest.

In this episode, we celebrate Steph Curry’s being the oldest All-Star starting guard in history, and we break down how 37-year-old Curry’s gravity still warps entire defenses: pulling up when bigs drop, attacking when they step up, beating switches, and forcing “2 on the ball”, which opens up 4-on-3s for his teammates. We show opposing Coach Mike Brown cycling through every coverage and how Steph frees up his teammates for open shots.

Plus Steph displays the ultimate gravity from the bench.

Co-starring Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, Gary Payton II, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos. With Mike Brown, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Miles McBride, Kawhi Leonard, and Kris Dunn.

Why did you stop doing Explain One Play videos? and other questions

I didn’t stop making videos. I’m just wrapping up a stretch of work for the Warriors organization. I promised them three videos, and the final one is included in this article.

• How I came to do some work for the Warriors organization:

  • Explain: Steph Curry’s Record-Breaking 48 Points and 12 Threes; plus Apricot officially working with the Warriors (Video #1)

• Answers to FAQs:

  • Explain: How Jimmy Butler III made Steve Kerr evolve the Warriors Offense; plus thoughts on the end of Apricot’s E1P streak (Video #2)

    • Why did you stop doing Explain One Play videos?

    • Are the Warriors forcing you to stop making videos for your own channel? How much do they control the videos? Blink twice if you need help.

    • How long will the break last?

    • How long was the Explain One Play streak? (Ten years!!)

Are you going to keep working for the Warriors?

I am now an unrestricted free agent and look forward to talks with the Warriors organization about their possibly offering me a supermax extension. I am referring all questions about my future to my new agent, Aaron Turner.

E1P #2 for the Warriors

In this episode, we explore how Jimmy Butler inspired Steve Kerr to evolve his offensive system by combining their elemental basketball philosophies. The video analyzes Kerr’s “water bending” motion offense influenced by Phil Jackson’s Triangle Offense and Greg Popovich’s Spurs system, contrasted with Butler’s “earth bending” isolation style. We study in detail clips of the Head Tap play from 2017 to see how Jimmy transformed Kerr’s complex off-ball movement scheme into “Jimmy Standard Formation” - a predictable isolation play that stabilizes non-Steph minutes. The episode examines the scheme’s success and then the struggles against Minnesota’s single coverage, and analyzes clips from across history, most recently from the Nets game on 2025-12-29-GSW-BRK to see how GSW are now adding water bending elements back through cuts and off-ball movement to create a hybrid system.

Starring Jimmy Butler, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney, Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Quinten Post, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Brad Wanamaker, and Gui Santos, Will Richard, and Pat Spencer as himself.

With LeBron James, Zaza Pachulia, DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, Michael Porter Jr., Cam Thomas, Danny Wolf, and Coach Jordy Fernandez, Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich, and Steve Kerr.

E1P #1 for the Warriors

In this episode, we highlight Steph Curry’s historic season at age 37. In the 2025-12-14 Portland-Golden State game, Steph broke multiple records including surpassing Michael Jordan in most 40-point games after turning 30. The video analyzes the teamwork and plays setting up Curry’s scoring outburst, focusing on the zipper cut. The episode concludes with a holiday version of the traditional celebration audit.

Starring Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jimmy Butler, Quinten Post, Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Seth Curry, and Pat Spencer as Magnum P.I. With Michael Jordan, Jerami Grant, Toumani Camara, Shaedon Sharpe, Kris Murray, Deni Avdija.

The other E1Ps this season…

If you can, please go to YouTube and subscribe, like and comment. It really helps the channel.

In case you need more E1Ps, here are some from last season…

In this episode, we break down the Warriors’ late comeback against the Clippers through a sequence of Steve Kerr play calls and in-game improvisations both on offense and defense.

With Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Al Horford, Gui Santos, Brandin Podziemski, Kawhi Leonard, Brook Lopez, Darius Garland, Jeff Van Gundy, and Pat Spencer.

(Okay sorry folks I uploaded the raw version, the correct version is coming.)

Previously on Explain One Play

Video #3 for the Warriors organization

This video is scheduled to be released today (2026-01-26) at 2pm Pacific at the latest.

In this episode, we celebrate Steph Curry’s being the oldest All-Star starting guard in history, and we break down how 37-year-old Curry’s gravity still warps entire defenses: pulling up when bigs drop, attacking when they step up, beating switches, and forcing “2 on the ball”, which opens up 4-on-3s for his teammates. We show opposing Coach Mike Brown cycling through every coverage and how Steph frees up his teammates for open shots.

Plus Steph displays the ultimate gravity from the bench.

Co-starring Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, Gary Payton II, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos. With Mike Brown, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Miles McBride, Kawhi Leonard, and Kris Dunn.

Why did you stop doing Explain One Play videos? and other questions

I didn’t stop making videos. I’m just wrapping up a stretch of work for the Warriors organization. I promised them three videos, and the final one is included in this article.

• How I came to do some work for the Warriors organization:

  • Explain: Steph Curry’s Record-Breaking 48 Points and 12 Threes; plus Apricot officially working with the Warriors (Video #1)

• Answers to FAQs:

  • Explain: How Jimmy Butler III made Steve Kerr evolve the Warriors Offense; plus thoughts on the end of Apricot’s E1P streak (Video #2)

    • Why did you stop doing Explain One Play videos?

    • Are the Warriors forcing you to stop making videos for your own channel? How much do they control the videos? Blink twice if you need help.

    • How long will the break last?

    • How long was the Explain One Play streak? (Ten years!!)

Are you going to keep working for the Warriors?

I am now an unrestricted free agent and look forward to talks with the Warriors organization about their possibly offering me a supermax extension. I am referring all questions about my future to my new agent, Aaron Turner.

E1P #2 for the Warriors

In this episode, we explore how Jimmy Butler inspired Steve Kerr to evolve his offensive system by combining their elemental basketball philosophies. The video analyzes Kerr’s “water bending” motion offense influenced by Phil Jackson’s Triangle Offense and Greg Popovich’s Spurs system, contrasted with Butler’s “earth bending” isolation style. We study in detail clips of the Head Tap play from 2017 to see how Jimmy transformed Kerr’s complex off-ball movement scheme into “Jimmy Standard Formation” - a predictable isolation play that stabilizes non-Steph minutes. The episode examines the scheme’s success and then the struggles against Minnesota’s single coverage, and analyzes clips from across history, most recently from the Nets game on 2025-12-29-GSW-BRK to see how GSW are now adding water bending elements back through cuts and off-ball movement to create a hybrid system.

Starring Jimmy Butler, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney, Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Quinten Post, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Brad Wanamaker, and Gui Santos, Will Richard, and Pat Spencer as himself.

With LeBron James, Zaza Pachulia, DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, Michael Porter Jr., Cam Thomas, Danny Wolf, and Coach Jordy Fernandez, Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich, and Steve Kerr.

E1P #1 for the Warriors

In this episode, we highlight Steph Curry’s historic season at age 37. In the 2025-12-14 Portland-Golden State game, Steph broke multiple records including surpassing Michael Jordan in most 40-point games after turning 30. The video analyzes the teamwork and plays setting up Curry’s scoring outburst, focusing on the zipper cut. The episode concludes with a holiday version of the traditional celebration audit.

Starring Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jimmy Butler, Quinten Post, Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Seth Curry, and Pat Spencer as Magnum P.I. With Michael Jordan, Jerami Grant, Toumani Camara, Shaedon Sharpe, Kris Murray, Deni Avdija.

The other E1Ps this season…

If you can, please go to YouTube and subscribe, like and comment. It really helps the channel.

In case you need more E1Ps, here are some from last season…

We got a puppy recently [early March 2026] and she’s a Scottish Terrier. 2 months old and already a spitfire. Her name is Pepper.

People say she looks like a teddy bear or hand puppet. Maybe they are just being nice 😆

Thanks for all of your hard work on the site. I’ve been a fan for a long time.

— Hookshot Holly on DNHQ

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The Golden State Warriors came into this season with high hopes, but an uneasy path built on a bunch of old legs and contingency plans. The season has not played out as the best case scenario, and yet despite all the injuries and setbacks, the Warriors have a shot. It’s a long shot, but it is a shot.

The Warriors will need to win two do-or-die games to …

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Fittingly, the Golden State Warriors will come limping into the final game of the regular season, but somehow looking hopeful - despite all the setbacks. This season has been rough, with huge injuries to key players like Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody, combined with little ones that have held out critical players as well as the supporting cast. It’s been …

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