“Not at all”: Kevin Garnett doesn’t mince words about Golden State Warriors’ playoff and play-in tournament prospects
Amid the Golden State Warriors’ slow start to the season, Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett doesn’t see the veteran squad making the 2024 NBA playoffs.
After 20 games, the Warriors sit outside the play-in tournament at 11th in the Western Conference (9-11). They’ve also lost 10 of their last 14 games. This includes them blowing 24-point and 22-point leads to the Sacramento Kings and the LA Clippers over the past week.
While some are still optimistic that Golden State’s veteran core will turn things around, it appears that Garnett has seen enough. During a recent episode of his podcast “KG Certified,” the former MVP told his co-host Paul Pierce that the Warriors look like a lottery team.
“This team is not a playoff team. At all,” Garnett said.
Garnett was then asked if he at least sees Golden State as a play-in-caliber team. he dismissed the notion, citing the ever-improving West.
“No, not at all,” Garnett said. “I’m just watching teams get better than them.”
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To make matters worse for the Warriors, they haven’t been above average on either end of the court. They rank just 15th in offensive rating (113.7) and 17th in defensive rating (113.6), which most would agree is not a recipe for a contender.
Golden State has also been over-reliant on superstar point guard Steph Curry. The 35-year-old is averaging a team-best 29.1 points per game, while the next highest Warrior is his co-star Klay Thompson at 15.7 ppg.
“He’s at a [point] where he’s here and everybody else on his team is dramatically below everything,” Garnett said of Curry.
So, the 2022 NBA champions will likely have to figure things out soon if they hope to make another playoff appearance in 2024.
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Steve Kerr says Golden State “deserved” to beat Clippers
Golden State may have been unable to hold onto its 22-point lead against the Clippers on Saturday. However, coach Steve Kerr was still satisfied with his team’s effort, as he felt the Warriors responded well to LA’s runs.
“To me, it felt like we deserved to win tonight,” Kerr said postgame.
“We took care of the ball, kept them off the foul line, and showed poise when they made their runs, so this one hurts way more than the Sacramento game. The Sacramento game, we deserved to lose.”
Kerr added that he is content with the Warriors’ roster.
“I like this version of our team,” Kerr said. “This is the version of our team I expect going forward but no question this hurts.”
Fortunately for Kerr and the Warriors, they should have a prime opportunity to get back on track next game. On Wednesday, they will host the struggling Portland Trail Blazers (6-13), who sit 13th in the West.
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