Kerr tweaking the Warriors offense gets Steph’s stamp of approval originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – The offense Steve Kerr installed 10 years ago, with crisp passes and player movement creating a basketball symphony, is updated. The Warriors want a different look that they believe fits the current roster.
Despite the team’s tremendous success under Kerr, that should be an easy sell. The most important item is to understand it and have already bought it.
“You get smacked in the face and don’t make the playoffs, that’s all the real message you need, the reminder you need,” Stephen Curry said Monday at Media Day. “We have a way of doing things in terms of how we approach practices, games, the level of competition you have to have.
“But when it comes to your Xs and Os and the style and all that kind of stuff, being open to evolving and pivoting and figuring out what — especially as the league continues to evolve as well.”
The Warriors last season often struggled to keep up with the rest of the NBA. Kerr tried a zillion rotations in search of a unit that could defend well and still generate enough offense to stay fast. Although their 2022 championship team started two non-shooters — Draymond Green and Kevon Looney — Kerr and his staff realized that formula is outdated in a league where most contenders spread the floor with four or five shooters.
“The good news is I’m kind of coming into this training camp with an open mind about how we need to play,” Curry said. “I know there is a Warrior mindset and culture in how we do things. It’s a system we’ve been running for a decade plus that has worked. It doesn’t necessarily mean this team has to play. We have to have antennas on and an openness to accept what this team’s strengths are, what our weaknesses are, and kind of lean into those.”
These comments from the richly decorated franchise player are in sync with Kerr’s summer moves – and his statements a few days ago.
“What we never want to give up is our values as a team,” Kerr said last Thursday. “We believe in ball movement. When you play the Warriors, you know the ball is going to move. That’s not going to change.
“But we also have to adapt to our personnel. I think where I can do better is to simplify some of the actions that we do, so that the players know exactly what they are doing and not have too many options for them. Finding that balance where we can keep our identity but simplify things and make it a little cleaner, that’s the challenge.”
The first indication that changes might be beneficial came when the Warriors finished 10th in the Western Conference, were blown out in the Play-in Tournament opener and missed the playoffs.
The second clue was Golden State’s 22nd-ranked 14.2 turnover ratio. For context, this was slightly worse than the 21-61 Charlotte Hornets and noticeably lower than the sub-.500 Chicago Bulls. This is where simplicity seems like a wise choice.
The third indication was the offensive rating of Golden State, 116.9 by NBA.com, which ranked ninth in the NBA. The goal is to climb back into the top five.
These factors led directly to Kerr’s decision to hire assistant principal Terry Stottsone of the the best offensive minds in the game. As head coach in Portland, Stotts managed to coax the Trail Blazers to eight consecutive trips to the playoffs behind one All-Star, Damian Lillard, and a rotating crew of mediocre forwards.
Voila, a welcome offensive adjustment. Tweaks if you will.
“We’re the chasers, among a lot of other teams,” Curry said. “What can this team do to maximize every skill that we have in that locker room? That’s the challenge for us. Some new faces on the coaching staff. First time me, Klay (Thompson), and Draymond (Green) weren’t together like teammates.Whatever story you want to click, for us to win, you have to think things differently.
“It doesn’t mean you won’t see some consistency with how we played before. But by introducing some of the young guys, that put us in a position to be successful. The different rotations that will put us in a position to compete with the best teams in the league, we have to be able to figure that out and we have to do it quickly.”
Although the front office, led by general manager Mike Dunleavy and CEO Joe Lacob, was tasked with remodeling the roster, Kerr and Curry each had a voice in the direction. The result is three veterans – Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton – which are deep shooting threats. All three have multiple seasons in which they exceeded 37 percent from distance.
Now it’s up to Kerr and Stotts, with help from Curry and Green, to integrate the new guys well enough to elevate the offense back to a level that once again causes headaches for opposing defenses.
“We’ll figure that out,” Curry said. “It’s on the list of a lot of things to work on when it comes to, again, the openness of how we’re going to play, what’s being asked of everyone individually with your role, different rotations that we’re probably going to experiment with. training camp, preseason games, and maybe early in the year.”
