As a player, Steve Kerr was known for taking over in the clutch and making historically big shots. As a player, Kerr was lauded for his ability to make the right plays during crunch time, and won multiple big games with big shots, resulting in five NBA championships.
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And it seems that his uncanny ability has managed to find its way into his coaching career. Despite being in the position for less than a full season, Kerr has made all the right decisions, and his choices have helped shape his dream run as coach of the Golden State Warriors so far.
Let’s revisit a few of those choices:
- Kerr chooses the Warriors over the New York Knicks’ coaching job. The near-symmetry is uncanny: The Warriors are 62-13, while the Knicks are 14-61.
- David Lee is injured, and Kerr replaces him with Draymond Green. Green goes on to become one of the Warriors’ most important players, and the size similarity on the wing is one of the team’s best defensive qualities.
- Kerr is faced with starting Andre Iguodala or Harrison Barnes, and chooses Barnes. For the first time in his career, Iguodala comes off the bench. He struggles early on in the season, but has flourished in his new role lately, and appears to be in the best form of his recent career. Meanwhile, Barnes has rebounded from his sophomore slump, and has had some key contributions this season.
- Faced with zero coaching experience, Kerr hires two of the most experienced assistant coaches in the league: Ron Adams and Alvin Gentry. He also brings in Luke Walton as a coach to help with the Triangle offense. The two experienced heads help make up for Kerr’s lack of coaching experience, and the results speak for themselves.
- Klay Thompson was heavily involved in trade rumours for Kevin Love during the offseason. Coach Kerr was vocal in his support for Thompson, and even privately called Thompson when the rumours were rife to assure him of his spot on the roster. The support Kerr offered cannot be overlooked, as it gave Klay peace of mind during what must have been the most tumultuous time of his young career.
March 23, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr (right) talks to guard Stephen Curry (30) during the first quarter against the Washington Wizards at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Wizards 107-76. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Kerr’s first season as head coach has been a fairytale run. He became the first rookie head coach to earn an All-Star berth since Larry Bird in 1998 when his Warriors had the best record in the Western Conference by the cut-off date for the All-Star selection. His Warriors have been so dominant this season, breaking countless franchise records, and establishing a regular-season dominance that the league hasn’t seen in recent years.
When he first took over the job, it was clear that it wouldn’t be an easy transition. The Warriors were coming off a 51-31 regular season and a disappointing first-round playoff exit. Mark Jackson had turned this young group of playoff hopefuls into a legitimate playoff team, and managed to garner a lot of success over the past two seasons.
The pressure was on Kerr to come in and build on that success. The worst thing that could have happened was if the team regressed under Kerr’s watch, especially after general manager Joe Lacob expressed his views that the Warriors had accomplished all they could under Jackson.
Feb 24, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr (M) talks to his team in the huddle during a timeout against the Washington Wizards in the first quarter at Verizon Center. The Warriors won 114-107. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Another concern was the support Jackson had from the locker room. Despite the rumblings of a rift between Jackson and the front office, the players were very supportive of Jackson. In fact, Stephen Curry was one of his biggest supporters, and the “Us against the World” mentality that Jackson instilled helped bring the team together. The risk that the locker room could turn against Kerr was very real, and it would have brought the end of the Warriors’ season.
However, Kerr has seemingly managed to dodge all the bullets. The Warriors’ season has been near-perfect, and Kerr is on his way to a historic season. If he manages to record another win in the remaining seven games of the season, Kerr will break the record for most wins for a rookie head coach in a single season. He currently ties Paul Westphal in 1992-93 and Tom Thibodeau in 2010-11.
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Kerr has continued to maintain that his goal for the season is to win a championship. His comments show that he isn’t concerned with the individual accolades, but is focused with winning it all in June. If his Midas touch continues, and he keeps on making the right decisions in crunch time, he could be the fourth rookie coach (Pat Riley, Alex Hannum, and Paul Westphal) to win an NBA title in his first season.