The Golden State Warriors, who are 33-35 and sitting in 9th place in the Western Conference, are struggling without Steph Curry. Yes, losing Jimmy Butler for the rest of the season in January was a blow, but not having Curry on the floor has taken the wheels off their campaign. Winning a fifth title in 12 years, which was always tough, seems improbable now. But Steve Kerr doesn’t think they should stop trying.
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The Warriors head coach’s statement came when a fan joined a local radio show in the Bay Area that Kerr frequently speaks on. They questioned Curry’s desire to return this season, expediting the recovery journey from his knee injury.
The fan concluded by asking why the Warriors are trying to get into the play-in tournament when they know they will lose to teams like the OKC Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs. This comment upset Kerr.
“Oh, so we should just quit?” Kerr facetiously asked on 95.7 The Game. It was a very poignant statement coming from the head coach.
In his 12 years with the Warriors, Kerr has only ever openly tanked in one season. We are talking about the 2019-20 season, where the Warriors finished 15th and last in the West. And the team used their second overall pick in the subsequent draft on James Wiseman, one of the biggest busts in recent memory.
The Wiseman episode must have left a stain on Kerr’s mentality toward tanking, because he doesn’t understand the concept of simply giving up anymore.
“So we should just quit? What is the point of what we’re doing? It’s competition…Every opportunity you have to make the playoffs, you want it because you always have a chance.”
– Steve Kerr responds to a caller questioning, “Play-In for what??” (via @WillardAndDibs). pic.twitter.com/u17cJZirn3
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 18, 2026
“What is the point of what we’re doing? It’s competition. We’re playing to compete and to go and see what we can do and give ourselves a chance,” Kerr argued.
“Like, I don’t understand the concept of, ‘You know what? I don’t think we can beat any of these teams, so let’s just not try to win.’ Like, what is that?” he added.
Kerr believes that the whole point of being in the league as professionals is to compete. “Look, every opportunity you have to make the playoffs, you have to want it,” he said.
“Because you always have a chance. And I understand, without Jimmy [Butler], we’re going to be heavy underdogs against just about anybody. But what’s the point? The whole point is that we play. We compete,” added Kerr.
Even while in a position to make the play-in, the Warriors still have the 12th-worst record in the NBA and are in the lottery as of now. So, they could end up getting a decent draft pick regardless of how the season ends. Since that is the case, Kerr’s point that Golden State should try to compete the rest of the campaign is pretty valid.
The gut reaction of some fans when their team is out of playoff reckoning is to tank. But Kerr is upholding some serious ethics that have been brushed aside by various franchises in recent decades. Many fans dislike how some teams are currently trying to tank for a higher draft pick. Now, why are Kerr and Curry being criticized for bucking that trend?
Kerr said it himself: Next year, Curry will be 39. As long as he’s healthy or on track to return at some point, the plan is to try and win it all. Tanking is only wasting a year.
