The Golden State Warriors didn’t just lose in Denver tonight; they looked lost. Chasing a healthy Nuggets team that ran like a well-oiled machine around Nikola Jokic, the Warriors never led after the first few minutes of the opening quarter, looking like a team with no rhythm, no trade of that connective basketball that once defined championship-winning squads for head coach Steve Kerr.

After the game, Kerr addressed the media without holding back. “Just a lack of purpose and energy, really,” he said upon being asked about the issues tonight. “Right from the start. Competitive fire, connection… Competitive edge. We didn’t have it.”

The admission hit like a gut punch. There was no sugarcoating or excuses; just an acknowledgement that something fundamental was missing. When asked about the cause of the lack of energy, Kerr let loose another comment: “I don’t know.”

The blunt three-word response communicated what Kerr needed it to. A coach known for getting players to buy in to the team’s trademark offensive system now sat in front of reporters, unsure of why his team couldn’t care enough to compete.

His frustrations only deepened with the young core. Upon being asked about the trio of Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, and Moses Moody, Kerr said, “The game didn’t go their way, but there has to be some fire in the belly to get out of a tough night. It’s easy to, you know, kind of get down, and you can’t do that in this league.”

All three struggled mightily tonight, with Kuminga and Podziemski connecting on just 3 shots each out of their 20 total attempts, while Moody struggled even harder, connecting on just one shot on 9 attempts.

Kerr has always been protective of his young players, and it’s only gotten stronger this season. During the season opener, the coach started both Kuminga and Podziemski, who were both in and out of the starting 5 last year, along with Moody, all of whom used to have a small leash.

Any errors, especially on the defensive end, would usually be a quick substitution for any of them, but now, Kerr and the Warriors’ staff have displayed a willingness to let them go out and play their game, even praising Kuminga for his shot selection and offensive reads.

Dub Nation Turns on Steve Kerr After Brutal Denver Nuggets Loss

Social media lit up in the aftermath of the Golden State Warriors’ loss to the Denver Nuggets, with fans sharply criticizing his decision-making and lack of control over the game. One fan wrote, “Can people see that JJ Redick is roughly 10x smarter than Steve Kerr? If Redick had the Warriors roster, they might very well be undefeated right now.”

The remark echoed a growing sentiment amongst Warriors fans: Kerr’s strategies, though once revolutionary, feel stale and predictable.

One comment took it even further, questioning Kerr’s credibility. “Steve Kerr thinks Buddy Hield at POA is acceptable. Like I’ve been saying for years, Kerr is a charlatan, a fraud. He should not be making the top decisions for this team.”

Hield played off the bench, having to guard various Nuggets players at different points in the game, including one where he got crossed up twice in the same possession by Aaron Gordon.

Others turned their frustration towards Kerr’s substitution patterns, calling out what was perceived as favoritism and poor choices. “Why is PODZ getting more minutes than Will Richard???” Podziemski struggled, but rookie Will Richard seemed to be in rhythm today, knocking down 50% of his attempts without recording any turnovers.

Another observer called out Kerr’s lineups, saying, “Unwatchable basketball without Steph and Steve Kerr’s lineups.” Stephen Curry, the team’s superstar, sat out his second consecutive game with an illness, which he’s working on at home to recover from.

He mentioned it first after a game against the Phoenix Suns earlier this week, and didn’t travel with the team to Denver.

Finally, one user summed up the outcry with one blunt statement: “Steve Kerr is refusing to play against Jokic anymore.” The comment perfectly captured how far the fan discourse for Golden State and its coach has shifted from reverence to ridicule.

All Kerr can hope to do is bounce back from this disaster on Sunday against the lowly Indiana Pacers.