Last game at the LA Clippers, the Warriors went to zone with a small lineup because they had Jimmy Butler resting and the Clips’ bigs were on the bench. Welp, John Collins hit two threes against the zone from the same corner (see notes in the Comments here) and I couldn’t help but just smh.
With Jonathan Kuminga mothballed, perhaps willingly nowadays, I couldn’t help but notice just how really small and, aside from Gary Payton II, unathletic the team is. Yes, this is a rather obvious observation, but I had always held out hope that Kuminga at 6’7” would find his way back into the rotation as a key piece (remember the home Denver win?).
Of course, the Warriors got surprised again by a young athletic 6’8” kid in Kobe Sanders and on at least a couple occasions, the 205-lb Kris Dunn found himself in or near the lane with the ball, either open with Draymond Green taking a gamble and retreating, as Dunn isn’t known for his offense, or on that fateful late rebound when one Wardell Stephen Curry fouled out.
We didn’t get the ball or they scored on many such occasions. Our defense also lacked physicality outside of Green and Al Horford.
Draymond would later take the podium and say (see full transcript below) that the blueprint for success is there: limit turnovers, which they did (only 7), play solid defense and give yourself a chance to ride Steph closing out.
I don’t know. The good news is, Chris Mullin on the postgame show was right: “They played well enough to win.”
But that’s also the bad news. Yes, they played well enough to win, but they’re still not good enough to win.
The Clippers pose an interesting litmus test. They’re also old, but they do have length and grittiness and if they could hit the reset button, maybe they’d still be vying for that 6th seed. And so, to me, with LAC as a quasi-benchmark for what kind of team the Dubs need to beat, it’s quite a red flag that they couldn’t get the win.
The look of this game makes it seem like the Warriors need an athletic wing.
There’s talk of Trey Murphy III and Michael Porter, Jr., and I’ve talked about them as nauseum (come and drop a question!) on our livestreams and this website over and over again, but especially according to the multiple reports that I’ve posted on our Discord server, New Orleans’ price remains high.
Incidentally, you can signup for our Discord server for free here: https://whop.com/letsgowarriors-discord-free
So first off, I’m thinking the Pelicans are looking for a Desmond Bane-ish return (three first-round picks). I discussed this on Yossi Gozlan’s podcast here:
And I detailed all the reasons why MPJ wouldn’t want to play second- or third-fiddle on Curry’s team here, although I do plan to edit this livestream and condense it a bit:
Besides, Brooklyn is probably looking for a mini-haul as well and the reports so far have said that they are not interested in Kuminga.
But what about Jerami Grant? At $32 million, to make the deal work would require Kuminga ($22.5M) as well as probably Moses Moody ($11.6M). Golden State is presently only a few hundred thousand below the second apron, so this 2-for-1 swap would not only open up a roster spot for Pat Spencer such that the team could sign him sooner than later — you figure it’s about a few hundred thousand per month of service to do that — and $34.1 million out and $32 million in makes converting Spencer easier, as well as earlier. As I mentioned before on here, Steve Kerr can only list him as an active player for a game 16 more times.
My sometimes-co-host Dean “of Positivity” Chambers will point to Grant’s lack of rebounding (only 4 rpg career average), but every player has a vice and, you know, beggars can’t be choosers.
An added bonus: sending out Moody loosens the glut at guard a bit, where Will Richard and De’Anthony Melton have been solid. It lets Melton continue to come back slowly. It makes Seth Curry more relevant, whenever he gets back.
Grant would be a plug-and-play replacement for Moody, except that he’s five inches taller, has a better attack, and shoots threes at about the same clip anyways.
Richard can still close games with Melton. No worries there. Grant is a guy you need for the meat of the game, which is where the Dubs are a bit weak, as I mentioned whenever they have to go zone.
But the main eye-openers are the attached picks. I think the Warriors could make the case that Portland wants to shed Grant’s contract and can probably strike a discount with JK on a long-term extension and they’ll also get Moody as not only a bonus, but a really good complementary player for their system around Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe. Therefore, no need to send the Trail Blazers a first-round pick. This is a straight-up deal.
Thus, it’s possible to swap, essentially on-court because JK is not playing, Moody for Grant. You get about the same three-point percentage, but you really gain in height and athleticism and a more trade-able piece this summer.
And you retain Draft capital not only to do a deal this summer, perhaps if Giannis Antetokuonmpo frees up, but even this trade window because you could still use Jimmy Butler’s contract and all the picks for Giannis in case the Bucks go on a losing streak before the trade deadline!
Below are the postgame interviews from Intuit Dome, but I also have some stuff from Kerr (pregame fun) and Jimmy (postgame locker room) coming soon on the YouTube channel.
00:00 TERRY STOTTS, POSTGAME GSW-LAC: I’m up here because I’m saving Steve (Kerr) some money, so that’s the only reason I’m here. Any questions?
00:13 What particularly did you think set Steve off about that?
00:17 What particularly?
00:18 That sequence of —
00:19 I think it was that goal tending call that was missed. There was also, it seemed like that, there’s probably some other things, but that’s, that was the last straw probably.
00:26 Did that seem like an —
00:27 I don’t wanna speak for Steve.
00:28 Yeah. You kind of are. What did it seem obvious to y’all on the bench? It was a goal tend.
00:36 Yeah. I didn’t see a replay, but it sure seemed obvious at the time that was a goal tend,
00:48 Did you guys get an explanation as to why they didn’t give Steph a continuation on the double plate before that?
00:56 They did not give an explanation. They — it was a late call, so I assume it was a late call and he assumed the foul was earlier, so I don’t know that was, but no, we were not given an explanation.
01:11 Did you sense frustration building throughout the course of play?
01:16 There’s always gonna be some frustration in a close game. The game, there’s gonna be an ebb and flow of the game, but I thought for the most part we kept our composure. You look at the stat sheet, we did a lot of good things. You look at how many turnovers we forced. We played our asses off. And I don’t know if frustration is the right word. When you’re not making some shots, that can be — I don’t think any frustration affected our game, let’s put it that way. The group responds, has a shot to win at the buzzer.
01:47 What did you think of the last play? Is that what you were looking for?
01:50 Obviously we wanted to get Jimmy the ball and he had — I thought he had a good look. I thought it was going in. We had two, I think, Gui and maybe BP, somebody, if it bounced right way, we were gonna get the offensive rebound. Yeah, we were pleased with the shot we got at the end.
02:07 Terry, what did you do to get into the head space of being the coach? Pretty sudden Steve gets ejected and suddenly you’re the coach. Do you do anything to get yourself, I guess, ready in the moment?
02:20 No, just try and coach the game and it helps we got a veteran team. They know what they’re doing out there. Steph, before he filed out, really got us going, but Gui Santos was terrific in the fourth quarter. But no, as far as I’m concerned, it was coaching the game and trying to make good decisions.
02:46 You mentioned Gui. He played almost the entire fourth quarter after not playing at all the first three. What are some of like the complicating factors that make it tough for him to have a steady role in this current rotation?
03:00 It might be positional. He’s with Dray and we played Jimmy at four a lot. We got our centers and we’re already playing 11, 12 people, so it’s hard to squeeze minutes in there, but the great thing about Gui is you — anytime you put him in the game, you know what you’re gonna get. He’s gonna play hard. He’s gonna get an extra possession here or there. He may or may not make a shot, but you feel his presence out there. And he always stays ready. Tonight’s a great example. He’s doesn’t play for three quarters and he’s ready to go in a big game. I think he’s just a guy you can count on, regardless, but as far as getting him more, like I said, we’re playing 12, 13 guys, so it’s not easy.
03:45 Hey Coach, I see that on defense wise that when you guys face some like tall teams, that you guys have some frustration on the rebounds. What’s something that we can do better when we facing the tall, like tall teams going next forward?
04:03 It’s a good question, but I’m looking at the stat sheet and Clippers had — I don’t have my glasses on, but I think it’s six offensive rebounds. Maybe it affected our offensive rebounding, but for the Clippers to only have six offensive rebounds, I don’t know if it was that big of a factor tonight. Historically, we’ve always been really good with Draymond at five and Jimmy is a matchup. And we got a lot of guards. I thought that was one thing that Gui helped us with. He gave us a little bit more size, but I wouldn’t say that the size was a factor tonight.
04:41 Coach, can you talk to us about Horford and the intangibles he bring and his contribution to the squad, Al?
04:49 He’s just, he’s a pro’s pro. He’s a winner. He’s won at both levels, college and pro. He stays ready. I know this, it’s been tough for him, not playing in back to backs, but he’s a pro and he’s gonna go out there. He’s smart on both ends of the floor. It’s nice when he makes shots, but he doesn’t have to make shots to have an impact on the game. And he’s great in the locker room. He has the respect of all the — every player in the locker room.
05:20 Terry, that first half, you guys force so many live ball turnovers. I think you had 11 and usually that helps get you your offense on track and get you going. What sort of prevented that from happening tonight, where you —
05:36 Honestly, I thought — I don’t know how many, obviously, they had 20 turnovers. I don’t know how many of them were live ball. I thought we forced a lot, especially when we came back in the fourth. I said earlier, I thought we got our hands on a lot of balls and created some turnovers that really helped us. Now, whether we converted or not, we converted much better in the second half than we did in the first half, but I do think that was one of the reasons why we made a little run at the end, because of our aggressiveness on the ball.
06:07 Was that it more along those same lines, especially in the first half? Were you happy with the shot quality and they just weren’t going in, or was there something that needed to change?
06:20 I think for us, we’re gonna shoot 40 to 50 threes and we didn’t shoot the three and so, in general, I think we take good threes and it’s if we’re not shooting an average percentage from three, that it makes it difficult and that’s where the extra possessions come in, but I think for the most part, we missed some in the first half. We missed four or five point blank shots, so I thought our shot quality was good, both from inside the line and outside the line.
—
07:01 Gary, just what did you see on that play?
07:05 GARY PAYTON II: Lay up. Didn’t call the goal tend.
07:07 Steve goes crazy. What’d you see?
07:10 A missed call clearly, but it is what it is. So we move on, play on.
07:16 Have you ever seen Steve that mad?
07:17 Yeah. A few times something happens just like that. He usually gets thrown after that, but kind of sparked us again. Yeah, we walked him down a little bit. Just unfortunate calls at the end.
07:32 I guess as a collective or as a team, how does it feel when you see your coach going to fight for you like that after a call didn’t go you guys’ way?
07:43 Steve’s gonna fight for us, have our back, and he just gets to a point where he’s fed up with what’s going on in the game. It is what it is.
07:56 Talk about the tenacity of your team. You guys were down by double digits. It was getting pretty close to closing out, but you guys took — you could’ve won a game with the last shot. Talk about the tenacity of the teams determination, even though Steph had gone out, you guys were still fighting.
08:13 No, yeah, it was good. We went on a run right before that happened, before he got out of there. It’s beginning to be a habit of, when we’re down 15, 20, we tend to lock in. We should learn how to just lock in from the jump and be in the mix in close games like that, but they made a run at the end, especially when Steph went out. They had good composure and we just came up short, but we’re a team that fights and scrap to the end, for sure.
08:46 Talk to us about your hustle and how you feel the team is gelling at this point in the season with the addition of Horford.
08:53 Oh, it’s good. We got a lot of scrappers and a lot the energy guys and effort guys. We just gotta be locked in more in the sense of just playing with our brand and having IQ of what we got and what we see out there. And just adjust as the game goes on, but we got a good group of guys that — energy and effort guys, so we can put all that together. We’ll be fine in the second half of the season.
09:18 Thank you. So also, with you guys fading as a dynasty, Steve Kerr said something about that a few weeks ago. Where’s your thoughts about how this team can do it, compete for a championship at this point?
09:29 Like I said, we can put both of those energy and effort with the IQ together and just be a little smarter when we out there and we see things and adjust. I think we’ll be set up for the end of the season and we can make a push.
09:49 How’s the team approaching the deadline in the next couple of weeks?
09:54 We got games way before the deadlines, so we just focus on the games. Whatever happens, it’s part of the game, part of the job.
10:05 Draymond said that this kinda showed the blueprint for how you guys can win, even though you guys didn’t defense — not turn the ball over, I think only had seven turnovers today. What did you learn about this team tonight?
10:18 I knew we always had a team like this. We just gotta, like I said, we gotta lock in and want to do it on a nightly basis. We can continue to do this for 48 minutes each day, we’ll put ourself in the best position, to come out with the games late.
00:00 Did they give you any explanation on the continuation, the floater you hit?
00:06 STEPH CURRY, POSTGAME GSW-LAC: No.
00:08 Is that — Steve got ejected after the goaltend, but do you feel like that was the call that kind of sparked y’all’s outrage?
00:17 It was both like back to back calls, because obviously the continuation thing’s been a story since Brooklyn, where out of three, kind of either way, Kawhi one, the first half. The way mine went, when it goes in, usually refs — if it’s a 50-50 call either way and you let it go to where the basket goes, then you just play on and whatever. I’ve never seen it where it’s a delayed call. Oh, it was a foul. Oh, no basket. And then literally the next possession, clear goaltend, seeing the replay. It’s hard to miss both of those and momentum swinging, situation like that, Coach did the right thing. We responded the right way, gave ourselves a chance to win, but on the road, that’s a tough moment.
01:15 With the foul out, how much do you look back, I guess, on that reach in and regret it?
01:22 Yeah, it was a tough balance on the rebound. Thought I could get my hand on the ball when Kris Dunn got it. That was a right call and then what’s funny is the one that after the goaltend, we were all like in disbelief. That’s the one I wanted back. Kris Dunn didn’t know what to do when he picked the ball up, then turned around, I just swiped at it because everybody was lost. That’s the one I wanted back.
01:52 Five years since you fouled out of any game. What’s it like sitting over there, especially that last possession, having to watch, that you can’t (inaudible)
02:05 Yeah, it was tough. Foreign territory, for sure. So the good news is I probably won’t foul out the rest of my career considering the — there we go.
02:19 As a shooter, Steph, when you’re not shooting well and things aren’t going away, how do you maintain composure to get yourself back into the game late?
02:30 You draw on a lot of experiences, reps of that happening where you’re just off by some tough bounces, everything feels good. You gotta have positive self-talk and just stay mentally in the game knowing that it’ll come back around, so those last two were big to help us get into it, but I never lose confidence. You might be surprised at the conversation I’m having in my head just trying to stay locked in and understand that there’s another opportunity coming.
03:06 What did Gui give that closing group tonight, in that fourth quarter?
03:11 Plus-13, that says it all right there. And that was a lot of — a couple swings in there, too, where the energy he plays with, comes in, gets us an offensive rebound, hits the big three in the corner and, really, it’s just he just knows where to be. And no matter who he’s out there with, he figures out how to get you an extra possession here or there, where to space getting off of it, so it is funny as a guy who didn’t play three quarters and then comes in and stays ready to go.
03:53 Steph, so your resume, obviously being a global figure like you are, you credit a lot of your career to your faith. Can you talk about your success and what you have accomplished and to the people that actually believe what you believe and how far it’s gotten you, you talk about how important that has been in your foundation through your life?
04:12 Yeah, it is the core of you’re figuring out — I know I put a lot of work into this, but the success is beyond my wildest imagination. And it’s because I’m on this platform to shine a light and to understand when people come watch me play, hopefully I represent something more than just a basketball player and the many people in my life who’ve influenced the things that I’ve been able to do. But trying to fulfill my purpose and stay grateful the entire way, because I’ve been blessed.
04:51 Hey Steph, Draymond has always played defensively at a high level, but what has he given the group defensively compared to earlier in his career?
05:03 I know we’re — physically it looks a little different, but the same impact defensively, guarding five guys, talking, communicating, making those extra effort plays even when he’s out of position, he seems to always be in the right spot. It’s uncanny what he does and there’s a reason he can be as versatile as he is, because he has just a high IQ. That’s the thing that’s the most consistent, no matter if it looks a little different compared to earlier in his career.
05:42 Steph, right here in front of you. When I asked you about Snoop, I know that the both of you spoke where he interviewed you before the game and I know you guys have known each other for a long time, but this time, of course, he was commentating your game.
05:59 How was it for you to see him in that role?
06:03 It was a great addition. I got to see him — or was that last summer in Paris — he came over, he rode the train with us from where we were staying, downtown Paris, to where the basketball arena was and he was talking trash, having a good time on the train there. I got to be a part of refurbishing one of the community centers in the gyms that he grew up in, down in Long Beach. like I said, known him for a long time. He can find his way anywhere in any environment and it caught me off guard at the beginning because he gave me three really straightforward basketball questions of the schedule, our early season. I was expecting some more and then he finally got — I heard he got to it on the broadcast. It was cool to see all the different versions of Snoop tonight.
07:00 Last two right here. Go ahead.
07:08 Steph, right here. Steph, talk about growing up with your father being an NBA player, how that greatness has come up on you and then, when you get hot, what is the thing that causes you to be so great in those clutch moments?
07:27 Just being around basketball as an NBA son, me and my brother in locker — we were probably the annoying kids running around the locker room in everybody’s space, just soaking up as much knowledge and kind of basketball savviness being around professionals like that for as long as we were. I have a lot of core memories growing up being around Muggsy (Bogues), Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, Kendall Gill, guys who my dad played with that kind of defined basketball for me at that time. And was able to take that and run with it just in terms of the love of the game, so that’s what come out when I’m playing still. I can go back and tap into that, those childhood experiences and just being comfortable around these environments.
08:20 Steph, it’s amazing to hear about pros talk about how you changed the game of basketball, but how does it feel for you to know that you changed the game of basketball forever?
08:32 I recognize that, but I haven’t really let that sink in until I’m done playing. It’s just an idea of, I know the game has changed. I know I’ve had a lot to do with it, but while you’re still out there, still feel like you can do more, so I’m trying to channel that energy as long as I can, but like I said, it’s gratitude that people talk about the way they do. And like I said, I’m blessed to still be able to do this at a high level.
09:04 Both Draymond and Jimmy both said tonight that they feel like the tide’s starting to turn, like things are starting to turn around this season. Do you feel that too?
09:12 Yeah. We just gotta continue to rack up wins. I think our process has been really good on both ends of the floor. It’s showing up and some of the what the coaches talk about and all those advanced analytics, stats and net ratings and all that in terms of offensive defensive execution, so we’ve — and the vibe is good. Tough losses like this in Toronto a couple games ago are tough pills to swallow, but we’re doing things the right way. We’re coming with the right approach. Just gotta rack up some more wins to get it, climb these standings and give ourselves a chance to get outta this Play-in situation.
09:54 Last one.
09:56 Hey Steph, I know you appreciate the coach backing you up, but in that situation, is there a part of you where it’s, come on, not now. Now’s not the time for that where — because it turned out to be pivotal, to be honest.
10:10 I was gonna do that until I saw him — That’s why I fouled Kris Dunn because I was watching Coach go crazy and I was appreciative of that because two crazy calls in a row that you feel like can dictate the momentum of the game. It doesn’t mean a win or loss, it just dictates the momentum. no, I love that fired up Steve for sure. Somebody had to do it tonight.
00:00 Have you ever seen Steve that mad?
00:11 DRAMOND GREEN, POSTGAME GSW-LAC: Yeah, when he was ready to kill me the other day in the huddle. I think it was rightfully so. Right reaction, I think.
00:29 Did you think the goaltend was obvious, like, even seeing it live?
00:34 Yeah live, it looked like a goaltend. I didn’t — I haven’t seen a replay, but live, it looked like a goaltend. I don’t know for sure. I haven’t seen a replay.
00:45 It seemed like the sideline really started to get going after, I guess, the non-continuation on the Steph. Was it a string of calls or did you feel it was just the goaltend?
00:54 Oh, those are back-to-back plays. That’s five points. It’s tough to make up five points at that point in the game, but our group kept fighting, so it’s what we gotta do In that situation. We did. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t come out with the win.
01:13 I was gonna say, how are you leaving this game feeling like y’all generally played?
01:16 I thought we played well. We couldn’t hit shots. We missed a lot of shots, a lot of shots that we normally make or can make we missed, but we took care of the ball. We defended without foulding I thought we did a lot of good things, but we forced turnovers. We just, we didn’t capitalize enough in a game where you force 20 turnovers, had seven turnovers. We probably should have 130, 140, but it’s unfortunate. Some nights the ball just don’t go in, but I think the lesson for us is to know that there are going to be those nights and what do you have to do to give yourself a chance to win? And I think the blueprint is right there. Defend, take care of the ball and give yourself a chance.
02:15 Draymond, right here. How you doing?
02:17 I’m good.
02:18 Draymond, talk about the physicality between you and Zubac and then also how was the reaction when Steph went out, how you guys hung in there to, finish out the game?
02:31 Physicality with Zubac is always at a high level when you play against these guys. Very big body. He doesn’t shy away from contact, so it’s always a very physical game going up against him. Zubac has been at it for a while, but he’s still young. I enjoy playing against the young good bigs in this league. They challenge you and as I get older in my career, I embrace and look forward to those challenges, so it’s always physical. And I go up against him, there’s a mutual respect there as well, so it’s all good. And then, yes, Steph got us there, so you can’t just let go of the rope once he goes out. He did what he had to do. It’s unfortunate that he picked up his sixth, but he gave us a shot, so for us, it’s important to try to finish it. I think we gave ourselves a chance, came down to the last shot, we missed it. That happens.
03:42 How you feeling physically with the —
03:44 I’m beat the fuck up. Excuse me. I’m beat the hell up right now, but I’ll be all right on Wednesday. Give me a day, tomorrow, to get my body back together, but I’m a little beat up right now.
03:59 Is that accumulation of the season or is that just the crashing into the bench and then the ankle?
04:03 No, I crashed into the bench and knocked a rib out. Then right after that I rolled my ankle. I fell on my wrist and hurt my left wrist, so it’s just an accumulation of this game.
04:13 Dray, so speaking of that, you’ve been doing this for 14 years, you wore a lot of different hats for this team, heart and soul, being the facilitator of the team defender. What does that really go to as far as your determination, your mentality, your physicality? Can you explain what that does for you and your teammates when you have a person like you on the team?
04:32 I think, my demeanor, my presence, I think, my team feed off of it. I always try to take it upon myself to be the guy that bring the level of physicality to this group, bring the energy that it takes to win high level basketball games to the floor for this team. Played with a guy like Steph my whole career and he blessed me with a target like Jimmy. I had an opportunity to play with Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson. You get those guys the ball, I’ve always — when my uncle had me play point guard when I was a kid — so I’ve always saw the floor from a different view than maybe most big men, so I try to make sure I’m bringing that to the floor, just getting other guys involved, using my IQ to see different things, to try to pick the defense apart. So always try to just bring positive influence to the floor, but defensively, offensively, and whatever way that is. Some nights it’s to score, some nights it’s to pass, some nights it’s to rebound, some nights it’s the defense, some nights it’s all of them, but I just try to do my best to be a net positive when I’m on the floor.
05:55 You think it’s a little underappreciated what you do?
05:58 I think most people that watch basketball don’t really know it, so I don’t know if it’s necessarily underappreciated because those that watch and know basketball appreciate it. I think those that don’t know, just don’t see it, but I don’t really charge that to lack of appreciation. I think that’s more of a lack of knowledge, but I don’t get off into who appreciates it or who doesn’t. I just try to win basketball games and be great for my teammates and they appreciate it, so that’s enough for me.
06:39 You guys had won six of eight heading into tonight. You have eight straight home games coming up, January 15th and the deadline are coming up. How do you feel like you guys are playing from a big picture standpoint? How do you view the upcoming stretch?
06:56 When you come into these seasons, the hope is that from the very beginning it goes great and then it continues to go great. And you just grow and grow. That’s the hope. The reality is, it’s an 82-game season and some parts of it are trash, some parts of it are great, some parts of it, you just getting by and trying to figure it out. Quite honestly, where I think we are right now, I think we are getting better. I think we’re — if I look at where we were a month-and-a-half ago to where we are today, I think our defense has improved. I think our offense has improved. I think our coaching staff has gotten a grip of the rotations and the combinations that fit and so I think we’re starting to turn a corner. And I think as long as you continue on that path, your record will eventually show up. I think for the most part we’re in a pretty good spot. We can play a lot better, which we know, but most importantly, I think we’re growing and as long as you’re growing through the 82-game season, the odds usually end in your favor.
08:10 Hey Draymond, back here. You’re one of the — on this team, you’re one of the elder statesmen, but you mentioned KD, Klay, guys like that who are having success in this league when it comes to just the older players, LeBron. Just what do you think has led to some of the older guys being able to stick around and be as successful as you got to have?
08:31 Oh, I think the old saying, if you knew better, you do better and I think there’s a heightened sense of how to take care of a body today than there necessarily was back in the day and not to a lack of those guys, willing to do it, you just know more, we know so much more. There’s so much more science and all these things that go into it, now that you know. I know exactly what I need tomorrow to get ready for Wednesday. Seven year — even seven years ago, I feel bad for the guys who played 20 years ago because even seven years ago I didn’t — and it wasn’t for a lack of guys trying to figure out, you just didn’t have all the knowledge and numbers and all the things that you do today. And so we’re lucky to be playing at a time where we have some of the greatest sports science people in this league that on a daily is telling you what you need and then you start to figure it out and you add more as you go. And so I think we’re all — I’m in year 14. You got Stephen 17. James and 17. KD and 18, 19? 19? LeBron in 23. It’s incredible. But what those — James — everybody always don’t talk about James when they talk about guys getting up there in years. I did just mention James, huh? But Kawhi, what, 16? So I don’t — I tend not to try to put myself in a category with those guys. I got a couple more years, but man, it’s an honor to be able to play at a high level as guys get older in this league. And I don’t think — I think that’ll just keep going and going. I don’t think like you’re gonna see this group of guys and be like, all right man, this group went to 17, 18, 19, 20 years playing at a high level. I think you’re gonna see Shai Gilgeous Alexander playing at a high level in Year 17, so I think that’s gonna keep going and I think, over time, we’ll have to start to reevaluate what’s prime age in this league because you used to get the 30, 31 and you like, all right. Now, that’s not the case anymore. It usually takes us as humans time to transition and look at things a little differently, but I think as these years continue to go on, what used to be a prime is gonna be looked at totally different than it was before.
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