Steve Kerr gives brutal assessment of Warriors’ postseason elimination

On Oct. 7, the Golden State Warriors will face the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time since they were eliminated from the 2023 postseason.

The Warriors fell short in the second round, ending their hopes of retaining their 2022 NBA championship. As such, the Warriors have been busy re-tooling their roster. Both teams enter their preseason opener far from full strength.

LeBron James and Austin Reaves will not be available for Los Angeles. Draymond Green and Rodney McGruder are missing from the Warriors lineup. However, when speaking to the media on Oct. 6, Steve Kerr gave a brutally honest assessment of what cost the Warriors a spot in the conference finals.

“The Lakers exposed us,” Kerr said. “We were not a very well-rounded team last year. Thinking about that series, watching it, they bottled us up defensively, and we didn’t have a counter. So we gotta make sure we have counters this year.”

With Kerr’s comments in mind, the Warriors must be eager to show they’re a better team this year, regardless of who is or isn’t available. Golden State has embraced its status as a veteran roster, bringing in Chris Paul, Cory Joseph and Dario Saric during the offseason. They hope all three can make a significant difference throughout the season.

Rob Pelinka has been busy, too. So, both rosters will have a point to prove when their preseason contest tips off. Both will likely view it as an early opportunity to earn a mental advantage.

Warriors fans will hope Kerr and his teams have learned something from their postseason loss and will tune in to the Oct. 7 game with high expectations.

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