Steve Kerr Says He ‘Failed in Connecting’ 2022–23 Warriors

The four-time NBA champion coach understands where he came up short last year.

The 2022–23 season was fraught with drama from the start for the Warriors. It all began with a preseason practice spat in which Draymond Green punched Jordan Poole. While Golden State still made it to the second round of the playoffs, the season didn’t quite reach the championship expectations that have been set over the last decade-plus.

Reflecting on the season, coach Steve Kerr acknowledged he wasn’t able to bring last year’s team together, despite the fact that they had just won an NBA title the year before.

“I will say that I feel like I failed last year in connecting the group,” Kerr said, via Shayna Rubin of The Mercury News. “I have taken a lot of time this summer to think about last year, things I could have and should have done differently.”

Kerr did say that the franchise’s first playoff series loss since 2019 allow the team to refocus entering next year.

“I really believe that sometimes losing sort of forces you to reassess and reevaluate and I’m excited about coming back next year with a renewed focus and energy and spirit from the entire group,” he said. “And that starts with me and I can’t wait.”

Kerr’s résumé as head coach is impressive, with four NBA championships in the past nine years. In fact, Golden State’s second-round loss to the Lakers last year was the first time the team lost to a Western Conference team in the playoffs under Kerr’s watch.

Thee offseason saw the Warriors trade Poole away and add longtime rival Chris Paul in an attempt to change the mix things up, hoping to get back to the heights the team reached previously under Kerr.