SAN FRANCISCO — In the wake of his death, memories of Dejan Milojevic, the coach, tell of his brutal honesty draped in disarming wit. The kind of coaching that makes you laugh, then think and internalize.
Players and coaches savor the times he told them — a language barrier making him unable to sugarcoat — to buck-up and get serious. To Kevon Looney, Deki told him “don’t be soft” — with a cuss word replacing the “soft.” Coach Steve Kerr, in an interview with KNBR, recalled Deki telling assistant coach Ron Adams to “show balls, Ron” as he stalled through a decision during a coaches meeting.
In the Warriors’ first game back since his death, what better way to honor Deki than to play with a little chutzpah — With the kind of pride and emotion that’s eluded this team all year. With the kind of confidence and brashness Deki dared them to embrace.
With tears still drying on their cheeks after the tribute, the Warriors found their inner Deki against the Atlanta Hawks in a 134-112 win on Wednesday night. None more than Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green.
Kuminga continued one of the best stretches of his young career with a historic performance, going 11-for-11 from the field, the majority if his baskets combining his bruising force at the rim with an exponentially evolved touch at the rim. He’s the first Warrior since Chris Mullin in 1990 to make at least 11 field goals without a miss.
“JK was tremendous, really attacking the rim,” Kerr said. “That’s where we want him, we want him in the paint because you can’t stop him in there. He’s so powerful and athletic…I thought he was fantastic. Nine boards and was so under control. We’re so thrilled with JK’s progression and how much he’s maturing and understanding what’s going on and it’s beautiful to watch.”
What’s changed for Kuminga since the start of the season happens mostly around the rim; he’s a force downhill with the athleticism to challenge anyone in the paint, but has taken his biggest leap finding crafty ways to finish and make the contact he draws count.
“They can’t (expletive) stop you,” Green yelled at Kuminga after he drew a foul and hit the easy bucket over Trent Forrest as Golden State pulled away in the fourth quarter.
As the 21-year-old Kuminga rises and the Feb. 8 trade deadline looms, the Warriors will be faced with a dilemma. Trade Kuminga, one of their most prized assets, if the right trade for a player that the front office thinks can jump-start a flatlining roster in the short- and long-term — or hold on to a potential star.
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The story of this Warriors’ season lies primarily in the defense. A team that historically relies on a Top 10 defense has been in shambles all year — lack of size and miscommunication along with Green’s many suspensions have the Warriors ranked as a bottom five defense in the league. Green himself called out his team’s lack of pride in one-on-one defense after an embarrassing loss in Memphis.
Wednesday, he took the first step in making up for his absence. With star guard Trae Young out with a concussion, Green had all the smarts and speed to stymie Dejounte Murray’s force off the pick-and-roll.
“Thirty feet out from the hoop, making Murray have to retreat a step,” Kerr said. “That alone, so that Murray can’t get downhill, is such a huge boost to the defense.”
Green hit a pair of 3-pointers and was a plus-19 while was Kuminga a plus-18 with 25 points and nine rebounds. Their games trickled down to the rest of the roster. Steph Curry chipped in 25 points, too, and Klay Thompson had 24. Both hit five 3-pointers each without either having to carry an immense load. Brandin Podziemski was a plus-19 with 10 points and Dario Saric had 10 points, too. Cory Joseph scored eight without missing any of his three field goal attempts. The team turned the ball over a modest 10 times
A little pride, a little chutzpah changed the tenor on court from frazzled and small to proud and intentional. The kind of bounce-back win Deki would have been proud of.
Chris Paul update
Paul returned to the team this week after undergoing surgery on his left hand on Jan. 8. Paul told this news organization he had an unexpectedly long surgery in Los Angeles that required 15 pins and a metal plate put in to repair the second metacarpal fracture. He is still wearing a cast, will be re-evaluated in another week and is going through physical therapy.
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