By: Yama Hazheer
Head coaches receive a bulk of the credit and praise in professional sports, maybe more so in the NBA compared to others. Steve Kerr has been credited for the Warriors’ remarkable year. It might be the most superlative Warriors’ regular season to date.
Kerr made an unselfish and wise decision in the offseason to recruit a staff that has the experience, respect, and knowledge to get the job done in the league.
Alvin Gentry and Ron Adams have been a fresh of breath air for the Warriors in terms of assistant coaches.
Under former head coach Mark Jackson, Golden State witnessed strange situations occur. Jackson reportedly did not get along with Michael Malone, going weeks without even speaking to one another. Jackson also reassigned another assistant coach, Brian Scalabrine, to Santa Cruz to work with the Warriors D-League Affiliate. Just a few weeks later, reports came out that assistant Darren Erman was secretly recording conversations of the coaches and players on the team.
The Warriors have yet to face anything negative this season when it comes to their coaching staff. Players get along with the group that Kerr built. Gentry focuses on the offense while Adams demonstrates his expertise defensively.
Kerr made it clear that he wanted a former head coach in the league to be on his staff. He wanted someone that has the experience and to be there to help guide him through his rookie coaching season. Gentry was the perfect fit.
Mike D’Antoni was rumored to be the Warriors’ coach this offseason. Gentry runs a similar type of offense. The Warriors have a young, fast team and revolve around their star backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
With Gentry aboard, the Warriors have taken their talented offense to levels that they have yet to see in the Curry era. They lead the league in assists per game at 27.4. They also make the most field goals a night with 41.4, resulting in the highest field goal percentage, 47.8. And although the team doesn’t get to the line too much, they are 6th in the league with 44.8 points in the paint a game. Surprise, surprise, they also shoot nearly 40% from beyond the arc, ranking them first.
Kerr emphasized that ball movement was an area the Warriors needed to progress in. They’ve excelled and it’s made them the best offense in the league. The predictable, isolation heavy offense is a thing of the past.
Ron Adams is a defensive mastermind and has gotten the most individually out of the Warriors. Curry is playing the best defense of his career, Thompson continues to progress, Draymond Green is the favorite for Defensive Player of the Year, and Andrew Bogut continues to be the vital rim protector that the Warriors traded for in 2012.
- Curry: Allows 40.6%, -2.8% FG less than his opposition shoots
- Thompson: Allows 41.6% FG, -2.1% less than his opposition shoots
- Green: Allows 38.3% FG, -7.4% less than his opposition shoots
- Bogut: Allows 40.3% FG, -7.8% less than his opposition shoots
Golden State ranks first by allowing 42.3% shooting as a team, they defend the perimeter well, allowing only 33.7% of three-point field goals to go in, and they are fourth in causing turnovers at 16.4 per game. The Dubs lead the league in defensive rating at 97.5. Last season, they ended with a 99.9.
Adams deserves credit for his defensive coordinator skills. The Warriors coaching staff as a whole adjusts well to the game and have had third quarter dominance almost the entire season.
With two experienced coaches in their respective crafts on each side of the ball and a hungry first-year head coach, the potential is there for the Warriors to have one of the better coaching staffs in the league for the long haul.
However, Gentry will most likely get an offer for a head coaching positions sooner than later and we could see him on the sidelines for another team if he accepts.
Nonetheless, the Warriors have established credibility in their coaching staff. Luke Walton, Bruce Fraser, and Jarron Collins have all done admirable jobs as well.
The San Antonio Spurs have been the model NBA franchise for the past several years. They are a dynasty. Kerr played for them last prior to retiring. Gentry and Adams both started their coaching careers at an NBA level for them. The Warriors’ success this season isn’t an accident.
While Kerr will receive earned buzz for the Coach of the Year award, remember that there are two intelligent coaches right by his side that helped him develop.
At 61-13, it’s time to rave about the butterfly that is the Warriors’ coaching staff.
Cannot overlook the work of the entire coaching staff for the success this year. Whereas last season, Jackson’s staff lost games that they should have won, this year Kerr and his staff always seem to have the team prepared, and they make adjustments at halftime too. Kerr lets his experienced assistants do their thing, while he learns the job on the fly. The team may indeed lose assistant coaches after the season, but Kerr has already gained valuable knowledge just working with these guys so hopefully Kerr can operate like his mentor Pop, and keep bringing in qualified people.