The 18-2 start by the Golden State Warriors has taken a number of NBA bettors by surprise. If the Portland Trail Blazers were the surprise of the first three months of the 2013-14 season, the Warriors are the story of the first three months of this season, alongside the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Warriors tried to make some moves in the offseason but failed to do much. Most notably, they swung and missed at acquiring Kevin Love. The only real difference was the change at head coach where Steve Kerr now guides the way. What is it about coach Kerr that has seemingly popped Golden State’s players into place? Why is everything fitting together so snugly right now? Let’s take a look:
He’s Not Mark Jackson
This is a sore spot with Golden State owner Joe Lacob, who, in a recently published story, noted how Jackson was not willing to hire the best assistant coaches while serving as the Warriors’ head coach. Jackson existed in conflict with Warriors ownership and management on the matter of assistant coaches throughout his tenure, and this shook up Golden State’s staff from time to time.
Lacob wanted a change and it’s clear he thinks Kerr has hired much better assistants and is willing to have a more consultative process, both on his own coaching staff and in his communications with ownership itself. Kerr’s communication skills are setting the right tone for the organization and everyone else is picking up on that reality. Everyone in the organization has better morale, and this is permeating through everything that happens on a daily basis, on and off the court. This accumulates and has a positive effect which only builds and is multiplied.
His Quiet Leadership Style
Professional athletes generally don’t like to be yelled at. They don’t feel they have to have someone verbally and vocally pushing them all the time. Kerr is a soft-spoken coach who projects calm at all time. Players won’t play for a calm coach who doesn’t know what he’s doing, and who is quiet because he’s either fearful or indecisive – people are sometimes silent for those reasons, not because they’re very self-assured.
Kerr projects a quiet confidence, and his team calmly plays the way the coach wants it to play. This cannot be undersold when judging how Golden State is carrying itself on the court on a nightly basis. Kerr was not a fiery leader in his stints with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs as an NBA player – he learned to get along with guys such as Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, and (with San Antonio) Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. Kerr’s championship experience gives him the ability to get into a huddle or a practice and command total attention from his players. This cannot be mentioned enough as a reason for why Golden State is functioning so well as a team.
Kerr Knows How To Play Well As An Off-Ball Shooter
The fact that Kerr was a shooting guard in his NBA playing days makes him the perfect teacher for the Warriors’ two backcourt stars, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the “Splash Brothers.” The way Curry and Thompson maneuver for shots has always involved a lot of natural talent, but Kerr is uniquely suited to give the two players advice on how they can refine their games and take them to the next level.
Curry, being a shooter, is being more receptive to Kerr than he was to Jackson, a point guard by trade. That wasn’t quite the right fit as Jackson was trying to fit a round peg into a square hole with Curry but Kerry better understands him. He allows him to play to his strengths much more. And when Curry is happier and playing better, the rest of the team thrives. This is one more respect in which Kerr’s arrival seems to be getting the best out of the players on the Warriors’ roster. It starts with the backcourt and flows into the frontcourt.
