The Golden State Warriors earned perhaps their most impressive win of the season on Thursday night, upsetting the Houston Rockets on the road in overtime. Not only was this a quality win against one of the Western Conference's premier teams, but it came at Golden State's lowest point this season.
Of course the absences of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Kristaps Porzingis have been well-documented. But against Houston the Warriors were also missing Gary Payton II (ankle) and Moses Moody (wrist). Both players have taken on highly valuable minutes in Curry's absence, and their loss leaves the Warriors with a severe lack of viable rotation players.
They got some surprising contributions en route to their victory over the Rockets. Nate Williams played nearly 18 minutes, although he wasn't nearly as aggressive on offense as he'd been in his previous two games in a Warriors uniform. LJ Cryer posted 12 points, going 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Even Malevy Leons saw some action, getting 12 minutes with the bench unit.
With the expiration of Steve Kerr's contract quietly looming this offseason, he's flashed his greatest strength as a coach in one of the most pivotal moments of the season.
Steve Kerr is one of the only coaches in the league who can bring this type of performance out
Of course, the Warriors' success has long been dependent on the superstar production of Stephen Curry. They've often fallen short when they've failed to surround him with the pieces he's needed to truly contend.
But Kerr has earned his fair share of credit for maximizing what Golden State has had on the roster over the past few seasons. If he gets his hands on a player who is willing to do the dirty work and fit into the system, that player will quickly be molded into one who can earn rotational opportunities.
Just look at Gui Santos. Although Santos' offensive skill-set isn't eye-popping by any stretch of the imagination, he's very obviously a Kerr-type player. He hustles, defends, and waits for his opportunity to cut to the basket and take advantage of sleeping defenses. He just earned a three-year, $15 million contract as a result.
Even when the Warriors had to go ridiculously deep into their rotation against the Rockets, Kerr somehow found a game-plan that exploited what Houston was trying to do defensively. He maximized the on-ball talents of Brandin Podziemski and De'Anthony Melton while leveraging the perimeter shooters they had available.
A loss in this situation would have been perfectly understandable. But a win provides a glimmer of hope— credence to the idea that they can stay afloat long enough for Curry to return.
Kerr has had his failings and his misgivings over the years. But he's one of the most special coaches in NBA history, and that can't be forgotten as Golden State takes a look at his contract this offseason.