The Warriors got a boost in last night’s win against the Minnesota Timberwolves from an unlikely candidate: veteran forward Jonas Jerebko. After spending much of 2019 watching games from the sidelines, Jerebko made the most of his minutes during a second-quarter run, breaking out of the slump that essentially took away his rotation spot.
In nine minutes, Jerebko scores 14 points by going 3/3 from beyond the arc and 4/6 from the field as a whole. He also went 3/3 from the free throw line.
In his first game seeing double-digit minutes since December 22 against the Mavericks, Jerebko finished with 18 points in the same amount of minutes. Coach Steve Kerr talked to reporters (via NBC Bay Area’s Monte Poole) about the impact of Jerebko’s performance.
“I haven’t played him much at all, and the guys were taking a lot of joy from Jonas’ performance,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after a 117-107 win at Target Center. “He’s just a pro. He comes out there and hasn’t played in about a month and stays ready and does that. That’s why he is who he is.”
The Warriors signed Jerebko this past offseason with the hope of improving their shooting off the bench. While it has not shown consistently, teammates such as Kevin Durant understand what he brings to the table.
“If he knocks down those shots and keeps shooting them with confidence, he builds off that,” Kevin Durant said. “He made his first few. And then he got going. He’s driving to the rim, he’s shooting hook shots. You knock a few shots down, then your confidence is through the roof.”
Understandably, it was difficult for a veteran such as Jerebko to be worried about his lack of playing time. However, he did not sulk, consistently putting in work outside of practice, waiting for his next opportunity.
“It helps when you’ve been in the situation before, which I have. I’m confident in my abilities, so like I said, I’ve just got to stay ready and help the team out whenever they need it. That’s all I can do, and tonight was a good night.”
With the regular season coming to an end, the Warriors staff are finalizing their playoff rotation based on both individual play and matchups. They believe that there will be opportunities for Jerebko to make his impact just like he did Tuesday night, and you can bet that he will be ready once again.
