“Communication – that’s the greatest thing. Communication is the fabric of the team.” In several of his talks, Stephen Curry has placed emphasis on the importance that being vocal and expressive holds on the basketball court. After all, proper communication fosters relationships, helps in gameplay when blocked by rivals from all side, and lays out plans on how to take on teams for future games. With the Golden State Warriors currently on a 12-7 record, combined with a 4-game loss streak, however, communication is something that has become the priority for Steve Kerr. On his own personal brand, the All-Time Three-Point Leader looks to get better.

In the aftermath of the recent Suns-Warriors game, the 59-year-old head coach addressed implementing the 13-man rotation during the game. After all, the thing that became apparent during the matchup at the Footprint Center was the constant switches to the starting five that Kerr kept making. He switched between 11 of the players within the 1 quarter itself. The lack of consistency may have played a role in the eventual 113-105 loss. However, if one would ask Kerr, he would indicate that things abound to go bad from the start itself. After all, the head coach was frustrated by his players’ lack of energy.

“I’m looking for force, energy, and Juice. I’m looking for guys who are talking on defense. It was a morgue out there, in the second quarter, uh defensively” said Kerr, when addressing what he was looking for in his rotation attempts. “I couldn’t hear anybody. And so, there has to be a collective force and competitiveness, if you’ve lost a few in a row especially. But, I couldn’t hear anything. There was just nothing. And so, we made some changes, and tried to get more energy into the game.”

As Steve Kerr spoke, Stephen Curry was at another part of the arena, addressing the media in the locker room. Weeks after an ankle injury had sidelined him, the player has now gone on to develop a bilateral knee tendinitis. The NBA All-Time Three-Point Leader’s ankle had been troubling him since the early stages of his league career. However, bilateral knee tendinitis is new for the player. Discussing the same, he revealed that the injury was certainly “as potential, like a nagging type of thing if you don’t take care of it. Thankfully, Rick has been great, trying to…. kinda stick with on a day-to-day, knowing that there is something I can get ahead of.”

For his part, Stephen Curry is right to be worried about the injury. After all, it sidelined him from the previous game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The ailment may have also affected his performance during the recent Suns-Warriors game. After all, he made only 2 points through a 0-5 shooting from the field during the first half. Fortunately, after the break, he gained back his momentum. He eventually concluded the night with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.

Steve Kerr himself was in the right about the lack of energy from the player’s side. After all, except for Curry, no one else scored more than 20 points in the game. A lot of missed shots occurred as well. Buddy Hield made only 7-17 (41.2%) field goals, Stephen Curry made 8-21 (38.1%) field goals and 3-10 (30%) three-pointers, Jonathan Kuminga’s field goals were at 4-12 (33.3%), etc. Warriors players double-teaming and implementing drive-and-kicks left the Phoenix Suns players wide open. Amidst a losing streak, such a performance was the last thing that Steve Kerr would have wanted.

Despite his apparent frustration, Steve Kerr did not choose to specifically blame Stephen Curry for the loss. However, the 36-year-old may have believed that the 13-man rotation is not the way to go. Therefore, he didn’t choose to hold back in his criticism.

Stephen Curry takes an alleged shot at Steve Kerr’s rotation strategy: “Gotta figure out what adjustments need to (be) made”

During the same Q&A session in the locker room, Stephen Curry touched base on the losing streak. Personally, he admitted to not knowing the next step that the Warriors can take, as he stated “You have to make adjustments. Whatever that means”. However, rotating players from time to time was certainly one thing he would not want to do. While he revealed being aware that each team holds its own mode of functioning, consistency should also be the key.

“I mean, the only thing I will say is, it’s hard for anybody to know or try to get a rhythm and know what you’re gonna be asked to do. In the 1 quarter, 2 quarter, we had to play 13 guys. That’s tough. We are a unique team. It’s a unique situation. I don’t think it’s been done in the league by never, but it is an 82-game schedule, and you gotta figure out what adjustments need to (be) made” said Curry. “Do we need to shorten it? We probably need to be more predictable on a night-to-night basis so guys can get a little bit of a rhythm.” Later on, he added “Is that shortening it one or two guys? Maybe.”

Warriors fans may have started to feel the excitement die down a bit amid the losing streak. For now, the only thing they can do regarding Stephen Curry’s injury is wait for it to fully heal. However, having realized what went wrong, Kerr will do his part in emphasizing communication. With over 48 hours remaining before they take on the Denver Nuggets, it remains to be seen whether the squad will take in the lesson, or not.