It goes without saying that injuries to your top three players down the stretch of an NBA season would be classified as a negative. That’s what has happened to the Golden State Warriors over the last week, with Stephen Curry (ankle), Klay Thompson (thumb) and Kevin Durant (ribs) all sidelined for the last three games.
The Warriors went 1-2 in those contests, but there is a silver lining to this stretch according to Golden State head coach Steve Kerr. Kerr told Tolbert & Lund on Friday that the injuries to their stars have given a number of young players a consistant run for the first time this season, and has been hugely beneficial for the likes of Kevon Looney and Quinn Cook in particular.
“I think it is for sure,” Kerr said regarding this period being positive for young players. “I think it’s a positive in that regard and I think it’s a positive for the guys who are getting extra playing time. I mean Looney has really developed here over the course of the year but particularly this last week. He’s shooting the jumper with confidence, he’s handling the ball. He looks like a different guy now, and Quinn Cook obviously gaining the confidence that comes with multiple starts, not just a random start.”
In three of the past four games, Looney has scored in double figures, the only times he’s scored in double figures this season. Cook, meanwhile, is averaging 24.5 points over the past three contests.
“You stack together five, six starts you start to feel like I can do this. So I really like that, I think it’s added to our depth. The minutes have been good for the younger guys and the rest has been good for the older guys.”
Listen to the full interview below. To hear Kerr on Looney and Cook, skip to 13:40.