The Warriors were handed another blow in a difficult and injury-ridden stretch. The San Antonio Spurs led by Victor Wembanyama were a tough mountain to climb and the Golden State Warriors suffered a tough 113-127 loss. Despite the challenging streak, one player turned into an adrenaline boost, dictating the tone of the team and Steve Kerr’s strategies. The remarkable adaptability of Malevy Leons gave Steve Kerr some optimism in a grueling schedule.

In the first game of a back-to-back set, Malevy Leons made five points shooting 2-of-6 from the field and 1-of-3 from the free throw line. All with his left hand. The catch? He’s a right-handed shooter.

The young forward has notably switched to shooting free throws and orchestrating plays with his left hand, a transition Kerr described as both “smart” and essential for the team’s current rotation. “He’s been doing this the last few games. He hurt the wrist maybe a week ago, maybe longer, and every game and practice, he’s shooting left handed free throws,” Kerr told reporters after the game.

The pivot was not improvised tonight. Kerr revealed that Leons’ promising basketball IQ was revealed in the matchup against the Mavericks (when Moses Moody got injured).

“I designed a play, and he said ‘coach can we run it on the other side of the floor so I can make the pass with my left hand.’ I’m like, good point. So what’s this guy doing as a two way player… he’s smart, he plays with unbelievable energy, and obviously plays through the injury.”

After what happened that game, Kerr needs this kind of smart adaptability from what’s left of his roster. Leons, for his part, played it humble with a little mechanical talk. “I just don’t have like full mobility,” Leons explained during his post-game presser. “So just been there, like trying to find different ways to work around it. And yeah, one of them things is left-handed free throws. Been working on it with Coach Mark and I made one today.”

He was chuffed his shot went in, called it, “Pretty cool,” and said he’s, “just trying to aim at the basket and hope and pray that it goes in.”

Without Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford, Steve Kerr’s exhausting every player in his rotation to stay within play-in contention. At such time, they need the ingenuity of Malevy Leons.

Steve Kerr recenters Warriors’ focus after tough loss

Stephen Curry had one 5vs5 scrimmage with the Warriors yesterday with a slim possibility of him returning on Sunday. In the meantime, the team’s shooting continues to suffer without his offensive input. It’s something they already know.

Kerr outrightly told reporters, “We turn our attention to Cleveland right away. We won’t watch any film of this game with the the players tomorrow.” So they aren’t going to react to Leons’ left-handed tricks in the film room. Nor will they see how the game got away despite having seven players scoring double digits.

What Kerr will want his team to take away is the emotional boost from the young role players like Malevy Leons and LJ Cryer, who had 17 points tonight. “I think the main takeaways from this game are, we get a really good look at a lot of our young players. I love that LJ bounced back after the slow start shooting. He had an O for the other night and he’s such a good shooter, that it’s important for him to feel this.”

The staff will review the game but Kerr seems motivated to rely on his younger players to fill the void. “More than anything, this is about watching a lot of the young guys and giving them a chance to play, and they did a great job,” he says, which is a deviation from his usual veteran-heavy strategy.

The fact that he altered a play for Leons is telling. Kerr’s refusal to dwell on the losses through film sessions suggests a coaching strategy aimed at preserving the confidence of his young rotation as they await the return of their veteran core.