Steve Kerr has defended Stephen Curry amidst a major slump.

Steve Kerr Sympathizes With Load On Stephen Curry: "The Burden He Has On Him For The Franchise Is Unfair"

Stephen Curry is in a slump as the Warriors have fallen to 17-19 and are the 12th seed in the Western Conference. The Warriors head coach was quick to defend Curry for his recent struggles, lamenting how much the team as a whole is expecting Steph to make the competitive.

“We’ve thrown a ton on his shoulders. The burden that Steph Curry has on him for this franchise is unfair. The Draymond suspension… Without Dray here, that adds a lot more to Steph’s plate. We’re trying to integrate a lot of young players.”

Kerr also took a shot at players like James Harden and Luka Doncic, claiming Steph can’t just use a high pick-and-roll to dribble 700 times and create offense like the other two.

“Steph has a very unique style. It’s the play after the play that matters. with Steph, and we’ve put him in combinations where it isn’t happening and that’s frustrating for him. He’s not James Harden or Luka, we’re not going to just run a high pick-and-roll and spread the floor for him and he will dribble 700 times, that’s not his game. He has to thrive off the ball and frankly, we have had combinations out there that don’t recognize that.”

Steph is one of the best off-ball players in the NBA and is playing on a Warriors roster with no playmaking. He’s reliant on having intelligent passers next to him, as compared to Harden and Luka, who are the intelligent passers that an offensive system relies upon.

One style isn’t better than the other, it’s that Curry is struggling to lead the Warriors to wins without elite players that fit stylistically next to him.

Stephen Curry Lacks Quality Around Him

For the entirety of his prime in Golden State, the team has put together some of the best and most complementary roster for his skill-set. This year, Curry’s teammates have all regressed in such an extreme way that the team genuinely would be lottery fodder if Steph wasn’t playing regularly.

Curry’s numbers have started trailing off recently, averaging just 24.7 points on 42.3% from the field and 36.1% from three in his last 10 contests.

Right now, the Warriors are without both Draymond and Chris Paul, essentially killing any playmaking on the team. Steph isn’t going to drop dimes for his teammates and the lack of offensive creation beyond him is sinking the team right now. A trade is necessary for the team to find their competitive legs once again.

A trade for Pascal Siakam is being discussed and at this point, it could be the right move for the Warriors. Losing Jonathan Kuminga isn’t preferable in that deal given what he means for the future of the franchise, but Siakam is a win-now player that can salvage this season for Golden State. But it doesn’t improve them enough to make them title contenders.