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The Golden State Warriors reclaimed their place atop the NBA last season. With the big three of Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson healthy, the group won their fourth NBA championship. Coach Steve Kerr has been through it all with his guys. However, it takes a bit more to keep his team going after all these years.
Over the last few seasons, the Warriors have been hit repeatedly with injuries to key players. From Steph Curry playing just five games during the 2019-20 season to Klay Thompson being sidelined for two seasons, Kerr has had his hands full.
On Dubs Talk, the longtime Warriors coach spoke about his role in extending his players' prime. With a more innovative game plan for the regular season, he and the team will try to ensure Curry is at 100% come playoff time.
"I think as a staff the more we can do to limit Steph's minutes at key times," Kerr said. "He just should not be playing 38 minutes every night, but in the playoffs, you got to do what you got to do. So we have to pace him and try to help him through the regular season, with the staff and help him lengthen the time of his prime."
With the upcoming NBA season just weeks away, it's hard to ignore that the Warriors have had a considerably short layoff. While others were able to let injuries heal and rest their bodies for the upcoming season, the Warriors were competing in the NBA Finals.
An Aging Warriors Dynasty
Despite Golden State's success last season, it's hard to ignore that the big three are getting older. Steph Curry is 34, and both Green and Thompson are 32. The group is approaching the twilight years of their careers. Their success last season showed fans that they still have what it takes to be the best team in the league. However, there's more that goes into the team's success now.
According to Kerr, staying in basketball shape is a year-round job for players like Steph Curry. In addition to the resources provided by the team during the season, Curry goes the extra mile to keep himself in shape year-round.
"I think a player extends his own prime by keeping himself in amazing shape like Steph does," Kerr said. "And then we try to provide the resources that he needs in order to do so. We have an incredible performance team with Rick Celebrini and his group, and Steph works closely with him to build his routine all year long."
Ahead of a season where the big three will look to go back-to-back, the players going the extra mile could pay dividends.
Guess the Lakers players!
