Warriors-Clippers postgame: Kerr gets grilled about Wiseman, says he’ll play more minutes; 2nd unit here to stay

Kerr: Stephen Curry frustrated because team was not competitive

Here are notes & quotes from Steve Kerr postgame after the Warriors (19-19) lost to the Clippers. This article is free due to the loss. I decided to make it separate from any other players due to the hot topic of James Wiseman, as well as the new second unit (okay, and Stephen Curry looking heated on the bench). Wiseman and Curry spoke later, and I’ll probably make that piece subscription-only.

Please be sure to check our YouTube channel for forthcoming videos, especially as it fills in the blanks of the notes below. Here’s the first upload (sorry if it is a repeat of the above, there is a bug in Substack):

KERR:

- Wiseman not til Q4: “I’m not gonna go into detail but this is all part of development for a young player…him missing the test and not being able to practice, that hurt us…I’m not gonna go into anymore detail.”

- Wiseman: “looked like he was a little angry and that bodes well.”

- one-time lesson? “Everything matters, everything comes into play. He’s a great young man…we’re trying to help him become the players he’s trying to become…all part of being a rookie and inexperienced.”

- original plan to be in Q2? “Yeah but missing practice changed the equation.”

- 2nd unit? “Got into trouble with a lot of fouls…Clippers zone hurt us…young guys in that group…I like the potential, I like the energy.”

- Wiseman earns his minutes? “That’s always part of the equation. You have to prove it in this league…both those guys were benched their rookie year (Steph and Draymond)…that’s part of the deal for everybody.”

- when did you tell him? “That’s all private.”

- when did it get away? “Beginning of the third quarter was disappointing, we gave away some easy hoops right away…we were already down 25 points (by the time they started fighting).”

- Steph sidelines as upset as you’ve seen? “Yeah…we knew we were gonna get better (earlier)…we have proven we can be competitive and win games…we were not competitive tonight…that was Steph’s frustration, that was Draymond’s frustration…that’s my job as coach…poor effort.”

- stick with this second unit? “Yeah this isn’t something I’m gonna do for just one game…couple us who can run pick and roll and are good passers, we got James running to the rim…gotta give it a chance…first half of the season never got any traction (original second unit).”

- young players: “connecting the game…good defense leads to good offense…stacking one solid play after another…continue to learn the details.”

- Wiseman, self doubt? “I don’t agree with that. He’s a 19-year-old unbelievably gifted player…he’s really playing well, played three college games…look at the history of this league (Kobe, Anthony Davis)…it’s a struggle, there’s very few rookies…especially in the modern era where guys don’t go to school…James is doing great, are you kidding me?…he’s playing against men…they way he responded in the 4th quarter…gonna be a great player.”

- Wiseman struggles: “someone who cares that much, to me, that’s a great sign…his frustration shows how much he cares…I know seven footers…who played the game because they were seven feet…we’re in an age where we’re gonna judge right away…because that’s where we are…everyone’s got a voice…none of that matters…he’s gonna be better…look out in a couple years, so give him some space.”

- Wiseman blocking out the noise? “I want all of you to picture yourselves at 19…none of us…part of the deal for James is understanding how to handle the noise…it is not easy but he’s doing great.”

- Wiseman minutes? “His minutes are gonna go up. I’ll just leave it at that.”

- Poole lead guard? “Jordan’s really a combo guard, he’s not a point guard.”

- Damion Lee? “I’d love to have everybody be part of the rotation, but it’s just not possible…generally you can play about ten guys…everybody’s gotta be ready to go.”

[Ends abruptly. Ray says he’ll try to get other guys in here. They turned out to be Wiseman’s and Curry, as previously mentioned.]