For a moment, it seemed the Golden State Warriors didn’t need Stephen Curry. But a promising 16-point lead only served to make their eventual collapse against the San Antonio Spurs sting that much more. With a couple of home games coming up after the NBA All-Star break, head coach Steve Kerr shared a largely positive yet holistic outlook on his injured veterans.

“We’ve got a chance to get recharged here over the break and come back, and we’ve got plenty to play for,” Kerr said to the media. “We’ll have to incorporate Kristaps, get Steph back, and we feel like we can be a really good team… Kristaps played today and was moving better than yesterday and seemed to be in a good rhythm.”

Porzingis is already training with developmental coaches on the half court and “looked good”.

The veteran star was earlier managing an illness, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, which is why he only played 17 games for the Atlanta Hawks this season before moving to the Bay Area. Currently, he is sidelined with Achilles tendinitis. But Kerr remains hopeful that the All-Star break will play a role in not just Porzingis’ but another star’s return.

“I talked to Steph earlier, and he said he was feeling better,” Kerr said. “So he’s trending in a good direction, but it’ll be just day to day when he comes back.”

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Curry was also ruled out of this season’s All-Star Game because of a Runner’s knee issue. The plan appears to be for the sharpshooter to make a potential return against the Boston Celtics on February 19.

Without Curry and Porzingis, the coach had to change his tactics, and he didn’t hesitate to do so. In fact, Kerr benched 14-year veteran Draymond Green and used Al Horford instead to close out a few games. But today, Green stood out from the start and was key against the Spurs despite the 126-113 loss.

Steve Kerr’s conversation led to a changed Draymond Green amid injury turbulence in the Bay Area

Against the Suns and the Grizzlies, Kerr decided to close out the fourth quarter with Horford and replace Green. He only played 24 minutes in either game. Later, Steve Kerr revealed that he spoke with Green about the tweaked role, as the current roster is different from previous seasons.

“He (Green) understands exactly where he is in his career, where our team is,” Kerr said on 95.7 The Game. “We’ve had really good conversations about this. About how the last couple of years of your career go and how you have to adapt and adjust.”

Those conversations seemingly played a role in last night’s Spurs performance, and even Kerr appreciated the veteran’s effort.

“Draymond was incredible, this is when he’s at his best with the biggest challenges,” Kerr said. “He’s such a great defender, one of the all-time greats. And guarding a guy like Victor gives him a challenge that he relishes, and I think it really raises his offensive game as well.”

At home against the Spurs, Green made an early three, but consistently pushed the pace and effectively orchestrated the Warriors‘ offense. He finished the game 6 of 14 from the field (2 of 8 from three), and racked up 17 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, and just 2 turnovers. So close to a triple-double, the 35-year-old managed this by guarding and keeping Victor Wembanyama on his heels.

With Jimmy Butler and Curry suffering injuries, the Warriors have been in a state of purgatory for a while now. It’s no secret that the front office expects a playoff spot (play-in, worst-case scenario). However, after letting go of underutilized Jonathan Kuminga and adding Porzingis, who provides floor spacing and rim protection, Kerr is taking a gamble that he stays fit. So, is it wise to expect a postseason beyond round one if the Dubs make it at all?