SAN FRANCISCO– Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to stop acknowledging it. That is the exact approach the Golden State Warriors have taken to their turnover issues, a true ignorance is bliss approach to one of their biggest weaknesses. And it's kind of working.

After their 137-103 win over the Sacramento Kings, their largest margin of the season, in which they committed only 11 turnovers, Steve Kerr mentioned that he and the team don't even bring up the word “turnover” anymore.

“I don't mention the word,” Kerr said. “I just say hit singles, be solid, solid wins the game, and I'm not bringing it up anymore.”

No more compiling a compilation of bad passes and poor ball security for their film sessions. No more dwelling on a turnover that led to a dunk on the other end in their huddles. And no more hammering the fact that they are 23rd in the league in turnovers at 15.7 per game.

“Just total ignorance. It's bury your head in the sand like an ostrich,” Kerr smiled. “And it's working.”

Over the last three games, the Warriors have only turned the ball over 28 times (9.3 per game), well below their typical average. They've been able to protect the ball while still distributing the ball across the team in their ball-movement, motion-centric offense.

“You still gotta walk that fine line that we always say,” Stephen Curry said after his 27-point, 10-assist night. “I know coach [Kerr] is not talking about it anymore but we are very mindful that it is a key to us winning the game. Because we do utilize each other more than most teams do. Screening, passing, moving bodies, moving the ball.”

The origins of Steve Kerr's ‘ignorance is bliss' psychological trick

Kerr's approach of not talking turnovers isn't a new trick for the veteran coach. He cited the Warriors' approach to fixing the turnover problem after the 2022 playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies as a model for what they're doing now.

“We did it in 22′ after the Memphis series, when we were turning it over left and right,” Kerr explained. “We just decided, after showing clips of turnovers and talking about it and hammering the point home, it wasn't working, and we just stopped talking about it. And it worked.”

As for this season, Kerr decided to stop talking about the turnovers “a couple weeks ago,” with that approach persisting the last couple of games. But that day of demarcation is clearly somewhat recent as the Warriors have won eight of their last eleven games. In the last seven of their wins, they've scored at least 120 points, a sign the offense is finally humming.

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It's a psychological fix that, whether Kerr knows it or not, has a real basis to it.

In Mike Prada's book, Spaced Out, he wrote about the “point-five” philosophy in basketball, which emphasizes players deciding to shoot, dribble, or pass within 0.5 seconds of catching the ball. It's a principle Curry's talked about often, given that the Warriors are a motion-heavy offense that requires decisive decision-making.

But Prada pointed out that one of the pitfalls with this philosophy is “the fear of failure.” He writes:

“Stressing the need to make instant decisions works fine … until players make the wrong ones. Soon, the fear of failure takes over. Coaches and players inadvertently reinforce this when they lament their inability to take care of the ball. Without a set target for ‘instant decisions,' players often overcorrect to make slower, more careful decisions that are less likely to result in mistakes, but kill the offense's flow.

The Warriors lamented their inability to take care of the ball. Whether it was Kerr nailing that deficiency in the post-game pressers after a loss or the players stewing on it through all their ups or downs. Draymond Green even said, after the loss to Portland in which they turned it over 18 times, he needed to “stop second-guessing” his passes.

By no longer acknowledging the turnover issue, Kerr is no longer triggering the fear of failure. No more fear of failure means no more instant death when it comes to instant decision-making. In their last eleven games, the Warriors have averaged 30.3 assists per game. They rank fifth in the league in that same stretch.

It's not a solution to every problem in the world, but in this Warriors' case, it just might be.

“It's a good life lesson,” Kerr joked. “Just ignore all of your problems and never acknowledge them. Don't look in the mirror. Ignorance is bliss.”