Will Richard became the center of an uncomfortable spotlight Sunday night in New York (ET), when Warriors coach Steve Kerr was caught on camera screaming and pointing at Will Richard after a turnover late in the second quarter of a game that ended as a 110-107 loss to the Knicks.
What triggered the Steve Kerr moment involving Will Richard?
The sequence unfolded at Madison Square Garden late in the second quarter, with the Warriors’ lead slipping. The play began with Brandin Podziemski attempting to hit the streaking Will Richard on a breakaway. Podziemski’s outlet pass was long, sending Will Richard chasing along the sideline.
As Will Richard fell out of bounds, he threw the ball back in bounds to Podziemski. The return pass was described as wild; it bounced off Podziemski and resulted in a change of possession to the Knicks. Kerr’s reaction—captured on camera—was immediate and demonstrative, with shouting and pointing directed at Will Richard.
The turnover was not the only issue in the moment. Kerr later explained that he was already upset because Will Richard had been involved in a second negative play in a row—an offensive foul for pushing off. On the next possession after the turnover, OG Anunoby hit a 3-pointer. Will Richard was then pulled after Kerr called timeout.
What did Steve Kerr say afterward about Will Richard and the turnover?
After the game, Kerr said he wished he had not been so demonstrative. He framed his regret as a coaching responsibility, saying it was his job to keep players going and adding that he “kind of” regretted losing his composure. Kerr also said, “I probably shouldn’t have gotten as mad as I was. ”
Kerr’s explanation included both criticism and uncertainty. He said he was upset with Will Richard after the earlier offensive foul, but he also said the turnover itself was not solely on the rookie. Kerr stated it was “a bad pass from BP, ” referring to Podziemski, and added that Podziemski “should have made a good pass. ” In Kerr’s view, the play could have been a straightforward scoring chance—“Will’s got a dunk”—but instead “it turns into a five-point swing. ”
At the same time, Kerr said he was mad at Will Richard because he thought Will Richard could have corralled the ball. Kerr also offered a possible misread of the moment, saying he thought Will Richard might have been trying to make “an around-the-back pass for a score, ” before conceding, “I might be wrong. ”
Why the outburst mattered in this game context
The on-court context Kerr cited was a depleted roster and the cost of mistakes. The Warriors were down eight players, including Steph Curry, Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton and Kristaps Porzingis. Kerr described the burden that situation places on execution, saying it was especially important for him to keep the group going given how many players were unavailable.
Turnovers were a major pressure point in the second quarter. The Warriors committed nine turnovers in that period and saw a 21-point lead reduced to nine by halftime. Kerr’s comments tied the emotional spike on the sideline to how sharply the game’s margin was shrinking and how, against what he characterized as a full-strength Knicks team, each turnover carried extra weight.
Despite being on the receiving end of the moment, Will Richard had productive stretches. Will Richard finished with five points and three steals in 29 minutes. Will Richard also had a notable highlight in the third quarter: a poster dunk on OG Anunoby.
The contradiction at the center of the night was not whether the turnover hurt—it did—but how accountability was expressed. Kerr’s postgame remarks placed blame on both Podziemski’s pass and Will Richard’s ability to secure the ball, while also acknowledging that the public, demonstrative reaction aimed at Will Richard was something he would take back.
