They say “a stitch in time saves nine,” but Steve Kerr learned that the hard way. Jimmy Butler had already sounded the alarm on the Golden State Warriors’ defensive issues, yet Kerr chose to wait. Then the Jazz smacked Golden State with an 11-0 start, exposing every gap. And when Keyonte George drilled his fourth wide-open three, Kerr’s patience vanished because now the warning signs were impossible to ignore.

Kerr chalked it up to a “lack of focus,” and Stephen Curry didn’t disagree. The Warriors had mapped out a clear plan to contain Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen, and that early timeout helped them reset. But while Kerr brushed it off as a momentary lapse, Curry sees something deeper.

“That’s the biggest thing. Understanding how they’re trying to score, who’s going to have the ball in their hands. You have to just put little step by step in terms of us putting together 48 minutes of solid, sound defense where we’re truly proud of the way we play from start to finish. We know we haven’t done that yet,” Curry said in his post-game press conference.

The defense was slow to react to their instructions without Draymond Green. However, Kerr’s fiery reaction helped the Warriors see the reality. They needed to stick to their plans. And from the second quarter to the end of the game, they held the Jazz to shooting just 15.4% from beyond the arc.

Their defense has undoubtedly been concerning. But Kerr knew it wasn’t a technical error. The Warriors were just abandoning their pre-game plans and failing to understand the opposition’s dynamics. Once they followed the path, their defense automatically adjusted.

The Warriors looked like a completely different team after that, but there’s still some urgency to avoid losing focus and understanding the game plan. In that respect, the Warriors need to be more organized. However, the head coach’s real concern was about bringing some order to their offense. Their scoring surge is what eventually allowed the Warriors to create an irrecoverable separation tonight.

Steve Kerr finally saw some life in the Warriors’ offense

The same day that Kerr sounded off on defensive problems, he revealed how offense was the bigger issue. He failed to see any “flow” at all. In their three consecutive losses before tonight, the Warriors recorded a 107.4 offensive rating. Only the Pelicans put up worse numbers during this stretch. So clearly, Steve Kerr was onto something.

And the Warriors struggled to open the game against the Jazz. The timeout Kerr took is where things changed. He didn’t just remind the time to focus, but asked them to clean up their mess. That sparked the Warriors’ eloquent ball movement, a sight they hadn’t seen for a while.

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During their losing streak, the Warriors had a 1.44 assist/turnover ratio. Steve Kerr’s primary focus was to add some life to their offense and have that success leak into their defensive structure. That’s exactly what happened. The Warriors generated 27 assists from the time the second quarter began while turning the ball over just eight times. They scored 108 points and curbed the Jazz to just 82.

“When we take care of it, we generally win. We’re 9-1 now, when we win a turnover battle, and like 1-8 when we don’t. It’s obvious what our measuring stick is, and that helps our defense. I like that. I like the way the ball moved,” Kerr said about tonight’s win.

Stephen Curry was the focal point on offense. He hit six threes, scoring 31 in just 29 minutes. Furthermore, Buddy Hield and Jimmy Butler combined for strong performances to seal a convincing win. As far as rhythm goes, it’s crystal clear that the Warriors’ offensive fluidity dictates how quickly they can reset on defense.

So, although Kerr’s nonchalant reaction to the team’s defense seemed ignorant, he had the right thought in his mind. The Warriors need to continue to build off this performance and hopefully go on a roll as they hope for Kuminga’s return.