Dub Hub: Steve Kerr urges the team’s young players to ‘pass the ball’

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Monday, December 23rd.

In today’s Dub Hub:

• Steve Kerr shares strong message with the team’s young players following Saturday’s 113-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
• Jonathan Kuminga posts a cryptic message on Instagram one day after Kerr’s comments.
• Thunder agree to four-year extension with guard Alex Caruso, according to ESPN.

The Golden State Warriors snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night, 113-103. After the game, head coach Steve Kerr delivered a clear message to the younger players on the team: ”Pass the ball.” He emphasized the team’s success whenever they move the ball, especially when Steph Curry is on the floor to maximize the team’s offensive advantage.

His comments were relayed to the younger players on the team. Second-year guard Brandin Podziemski responded during his postgame presser and expanded on his thoughts with a post later on.

The Warriors’ dynasty was built on elite ball movement as the team consistently ranked among the league’s best in assist percentage. This season, they sit second in that category, so it’s no surprise to see Kerr challenge the team’s younger core to embrace the standard of success they have set throughout the years.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Monday, December 23rd:

Warriors News:

What Kerr stressed to Warriors’ youngsters about playing with Steph | NBC Sports Bay Area

“That’s what we’re trying to impart on our young players,” Kerr told reporters. “We have Steph Curry on our team. So, pass the ball. Move the ball. And if Steph gets off it early, because he’s gained an advantage, now the defense is scrambling.

“This is how we’ve played for 10 years, and it’s important for our young players to understand — we don’t need contested 17-footers with 12 [seconds] on the shot clock. That’s a bad shot. I talked to our guys about that during several timeouts. It’s something we have to recognize and get better with.”

Podz clarifies comments from after Warriors’ win vs. Timberwolves | NBC Sports Bay Area

“I don’t really think. I just play,” Podziemski told reporters. “When I’m out there and I’m open, I shoot it. If not, I make a play. I don’t really look too much into. I know we have Steph Curry on the court and if he’s open, I’m going throw the ball to him. I don’t really look too deep into those messages.”

In the moment, Podziemski clearly didn’t find anything wrong with what he said, but after seeing the reaction, he knew he needed to clear the air.

Warriors react to ‘huge’ road win over Minnesota Timberwolves | NBC Sports Bay Area

Jonathan Kuminga posts cryptic message on Instagram

Steph Curry pays tribute to legendary Oakland baseball player Rickey Henderson who passed away on Friday at the age of 65

NBA News:

Alex Caruso, Thunder agree to 4-year, $81M extension | ESPN

The deal keeps Caruso, who is under contract for $9.9 million this season, out of free agency. He became eligible for an extension Saturday.

Caruso, 30, arrived to the Thunder in the offseason as a highly coveted supporting cast player and a long-term priority for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. After four seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, including being part of the 2020 NBA championship team, Caruso joined the Chicago Bulls for three seasons and averaged a career-high 10.1 points per game in 2023-24.

Why De’Aaron Fox, struggling Kings have entered the danger zone around star’s future | The Athletic

But the Kings’ beam isn’t burning as bright as it was two seasons ago, when Fox and Domantas Sabonis led the group that broke the franchise’s league-record playoff drought. And now, the prospect of him declining an extension again this summer — or perhaps telling them ahead of time that he plans on doing so — would inevitably force the Kings to consider trading Fox rather than losing him for nothing in free agency two summers from now.

Meanwhile, rival executives are monitoring the Fox situation closely and league sources say one team in particular — the San Antonio Spurs — is positioning itself to pursue the Houston native as a possible partner for Victor Wembanyama, should Fox become available. Barring a significant Kings turnaround, others are surely close behind.

Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama records second career 10-block game during Saturday’s victory vs. Blazers

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

On the Warriors using ‘Circle’ to run circles around Rudy Gobert’s pick-and-roll coverages

On nights that involve Curry, however, the gap between benefit and risk closes massively, something the Warriors know all too well in their battles against the French center. In that regard, they make it a focus to double down on that pressure point by involving Curry in all sorts of screening actions and testing the Wolves’ willingness to draw Gobert away from the rim and the paint — all in an effort to take away Curry’s space around ball screens.

Follow @unstoppablebaby on Twitter for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.