That Steve Kerr is not only a very good basketball coach, but also a good player in the NBA was, many have through the Netflix series “The Last Dance“, which tells the success story of the Chicago Bulls around the legend Michael Jordan.
Kerr was a point guard for the Chicago Bulls from 1993 to 1996, winning three championships during that time. Kerr was one of several key role players who complemented the star trio of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. Following that success, Kerr has gone on to win two more titles as a player with San Antonio.
Kerr soon runs out of fingers for master rings
players and coaches in the NBA receive a gold, flashy ring for every championship title. Kerr may soon run out of fingers for the number of rings he has. In addition to five titles as a player, Kerr has three more titles after seven years as a coach and is back in the this year NBA-Finals against the Boston Celtics.
In 2014 Steve Kerr took over a team in which three young stars set the tone. Point guard Stephen Curry, winger Klay Thompson and power forward Draymond Green. The Warriors were a good playoff team at the time, but not a champion contender, Steve Kerr was a TV analyst with no coaching experience at the time.
A lot of movement makes the Warriors offensive extremely dangerous
In the NBA, offensive rating measures how many points a team earns for every 100 possessions. It’s a good indicator of how strong a team is offensively. In his first year as coach, Kerr got the Warriors the second-best rating in the league, up from 12th the previous season.
Kerr has created an offensive system in which the ball and the players move a lot. During this time, Stephen Curry has become the superstar of the NBA. It’s not common for such an agile point guard, who hits very well from the three-point line and skilfully moves to the basket, to move around a lot when he doesn’t have the ball. It’s different in the Warriors system. Curry moves almost constantly, exploiting blocks, moving into the zone and reappearing on the other side. He often escapes the defense and gets a free throw.
Ex-Warriors player Harrison Barnes, like many other players, praises the way Coach Kerr communicates: “What makes him a very good coach is his ability to communicate exactly what he wants from you and what you need to do better.”
From the best to the worst team in the league
Kerr and the star trio were in the NBA Finals for the first two seasons together and won a title. Then a new TV deal from the NBA and lots of fresh cash made it possible for one of the NBA’s best players, Kevin Durant, to find a place in the salary structure alongside the three well-paid stars. After this commitment, many suspected exactly what happened next. The Golden State Warriors were all but unbeatable, advancing to the Finals three more years and winning two more titles.
But then: Klay Thompson tore his cruciate ligament, Kevin Durant changed teams, Stephen Curry broke his hand. Everything can happen so quickly in the NBA. The Warriors went from being the top team to being one of the worst teams, missing the playoffs for two years. Many wrote them off – at least as a title favorite.
That’s why getting into the NBA Finals this season is yet another testament to how good Coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors’ management are at adapting and evolving. The Warriors had the patience and courage to use the two years to develop young players and bring in new players who would be a good fit for the star trio of Curry, Thompson and Green.
Kerr uses platform to protest
Kerr also regularly draws attention to himself outside of sport. During the conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks a week ago, a shooting spree broke out at a Texas elementary school in the United States. At the usual pre-game press conference, Kerr didn’t want to talk about basketball. In an emotional speech, Kerr spoke furiously about the horrific events and harshly criticized politicians who are preventing stricter gun laws.
Kerr uses his platform as a trainer again and again and primarily talks about racism, immigration and gun violence. He started when Donald Trump became US President and divided Americans on Twitter with his statements. As NBA champions, Kerr and the Warriors refused the usual visit to the White House. After the death of black George Floyd, Kerr supported the Black Lives Matter movement.