When Steve Kerr said of his recent struggles that he and his Golden State Warriors are now in the “real NBA”, it’s fair to wonder if he was talking about only the team or himself.

It doesn’t matter how easy the Warriors may make the game look, winning championships are hard. This is exactly the reason why the three peat is so elusive and so rare. The Warriors’ talent does not and never made them immune to the challenges of 100 plus games. The players know it and know it more than anyone-the media, fans and even the coaching staff. David West and Shaun Livingston alluded to the challenges last season through the haze of champagne foam and cigar smoke. Even Draymond Green said that he didn’t even want to see the latest Larry O’ Brien trophy after winning it again.

The players get it. They’re the ones battling on the floor night after night. In the midst of this “four year dream”, did Kerr forget the struggle? Is Kerr projecting a little when he said that “we’re in the real NBA?”

Before beating the Blazers and the Kings at home, the Warriors were in the midst of a four game losing streak, the longest losing streak under Kerr’s tenure. Golden State dropped five of their last seven games. Their defense rating plummeted to 27th in the league (112.7), 13 points below 9-1 stretch last season when Stephen Curry went down with his first ankle injury. Their offense rating puttered to 106.2. That is not to say that Kerr is to blame for the slump. Injuries have compromised this team. However, that is not to say that Kerr is faultless. In fact, this slump have revealed some of Kerr’s flaws.

Questionable Rotations

Granted, injuries to Curry and Draymond Green altered the lineup and the rotations. Not to mention the propensity to get into foul trouble compromising matters even more. Those factors are understandable, and they are out of Kerr’s control. However, starting a lineup with someone like Jordan Bell with Damian Jones in the front court is counterproductive for offense. During the skid, Kerr started Andre Iguodala for a few games at point guard. I understand starting him against Oklahoma City and Houston because the matchups were too much for Quinn Cook. But why bench Cook for other games when you’re struggling to find offense?

Furthermore, Iguodala is more of a facilitator than a scorer. Again, I understand the need to put him in the lineup for the Rockets and the Thunder, but Kerr did that to the detriment of offense. Without Curry and Green, a more logical lineup could have been (or would be) Cook, Thompson, Durant, Iguodala (or Jerebko), Jones (or Loony). Better yet, Kerr could move Durant to the four and Iguodala to the three for added rim protection.

Adjustment Flaws

Kerr’s greatest strength as a coach is how he manages the the pulse of the locker room. He effectively navigates the egos and understands the personalities of his squad. He has also fostered a culture that’s conductive to winning by emphasizing joy and mindfulness as well as staying competitive. However, Kerr struggles when he fails to adapt and adjust. Sometimes, it seems as if Kerr coaches on autopilot when Curry and Durant are there.

Curry makes Kerr’s life on the court so easy with the gravity to draw coverage and double teams, which create the space for the other guys. The spacing that Curry provides is a huge reason why that the Warriors’ pass happy motion offense works so well. Without Curry, Kerr tends to force the whole motion, “strength in numbers” philosophy in conditions where it doesn’t fit.

When Curry isn’t playing, the floor shrinks. Spacing is limited, and yet Kerr tries to force ball movement where there isn’t any. Spacing where there isn’t any. For example, there were some stretches where Durant only had an elbow’s worth  of space to work. His shots were contested, and the opposition forced turnovers due to deploying help and deflecting passes. Speaking of Durant, why did Kerr have him in the post so much?

Kevin Durant is averaging more post-ups this season than Nik Jokic, Andre Drummond, Steven Adams, and Dwight friggin’ Howard. ????

— Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) November 22, 2018

Make it make sense!  Durant’s never been a post up type of player. Despite his height, that’s not his game. Why force it? Kerr did something similar against the Kings.

Don't understand all this passing into the crowded painted area by @warriors. Shaq isn't there. Neither is Hakeem.
Oh. Wait. Maybe they're practicing for DeMarcus.

— Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) November 25, 2018

There’s no Stephen Curry to stretch the floor. The Warriors don’t have a David West type post passer either. So why force the issues? Instead of emphasizing “Strength in Numbers”, Kerr should emphasize using the STRENGTHS of the numbers he has, and adjust the game plan to them. Durant’s greatest strength is his ability to iso. With no Curry, Kerr has to give him that sometimes. Conserve the pass. Better yet, what about some pindowns? Durant is excellent in those.

Strength in numbers? Nope. Strengths of those numbers? Yup!

Takeaways

The skid may be over and sometime, Curry and Green will return to the line up. But until then, Kerr still need to make adjustments. His lack of in-game adjustments has always been a flaw. In a strange way, maybe this rough patch is not only for the team’s own good. It’s also for Kerr’s.

Welcome back to the REAL NBA.