The evolution of Steve Kerr
In his fourth year, the Warriors’ head coach has learned when to stop talking
Three-plus years ago, when Steve Kerr was a rookie head coach, he pointed out a Stephen Curry mistake in front of his teammates during video review (good idea). Kerr also yelled at Klay Thompson during one game (bad idea). Mostly, though, Kerr spent his inaugural season sparring — loudly, repeatedly and enjoyably — with Draymond Green. Fast forward to April 2018, and these lessons serve Kerr well as he guides the Warriors into the playoffs after an uncommonly turbulent regular season. They lost 10 of their last 17 games, finished with fewer wins (58) than in each of Kerr’s first three seasons and for the first time in his tenure will try to reach the NBA Finals without the No. 1 seed in the West.
“The players need to see my competitive spirit. If that means yelling at them, great, but I’m not going to insult them personally.” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr
They’re No. 2, behind Houston, after a season notable for occasional complacency and an avalanche of injuries.
Kerr’s challenge will extend into the opening round against San Antonio, starting Saturday, with Curry sidelined as he recovers from a sprained MCL in his left knee.
But Kerr’s evolution as a head coach — what he’s learned, how he’s adapted — stretches deeper than playoff seeding and strategic maneuvering. He inherited an uber skilled, distinctive mix of personalities in the summer of 2014, from Curry (easygoing) to Thompson (reserved) to Green (combustible).
So the most striking contrast between Season 1 and Season 4, in many ways, is Kerr’s wide-ranging connections with each player. Five of them — Curry, Thompson, Green, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston — have been with the Warriors all four years.
“Draymond and I got into it all the time that whole first year,” Kerr said in an extended interview with The Chronicle. “And it was awesome! We’d yell at each other, and he told me it reminded him of (Michigan State coach) Tom Izzo.
“It just seemed so natural, because it was this new relationship where I was figuring out each guy. I yelled at Klay one day and quickly realized that’s not the way to deal with Klay. He shut down a little bit.
“With each guy you learn what they need to get the best out of them. It was yelling with Draymond and with Klay it was don’t be emotional, pull him aside and tell him something. With Steph, it was saying anything you want in front of the team when he makes a mistake on film. He can handle it, and that was really powerful for the group.”
This season, Kerr suspected Warriors players were growing weary of his voice at times. That’s why he empowers them to speak up — namely, Green and Iguodala — and why he let players coach themselves during a lopsided victory over Phoenix on Feb. 12.
Green suggested Kerr’s flexibility in dealing with disparate personalities is one big reason for Golden State’s staggering four-year run. Kerr is 265-63, giving him more regular-season wins than any head coach in NBA history over his first four years. Phil Jackson is next with 240.
“That’s the part that makes a coach a legend or gets him fired in two years, figuring out how to coach different guys,” Green said. “Every guy isn’t the same. …
“I think we yelled at each other so much (at first) because we didn’t realize how much we’re alike. The more you’re like someone, the more you butt heads. Then once you realize how much you’re alike, you kind of have the best relationship.”
Kerr started this season determined to pace his team, knowing several players were physically and mentally fatigued from three consecutive long postseason journeys. Rest was a high priority, even before all the injuries.
Then, in the end, Kerr found himself scrambling. He used 27 starting lineups, juggling and experimenting given the absences of all four All-Stars at various times. The Warriors used eight, 12 and 14 starting lineups in Kerr’s first three seasons.
He resisted the temptation to snap — his thoughtful nature belies a serious temper, as you might have deduced — when the Warriors started sluggishly (4-3). And he remained calm when they struggled to stay engaged in late January and early February as the All-Star break approached.
He did unleash an unusually harsh critique of his players after a desultory loss April 5 against Indiana, calling their performance “pathetic” and saying it’s tough to win an NBA game “if you don’t put forth any effort at all.” Even so, Kerr and his staff mostly sought other ways to spark a team muddling along after two championships in three years.
“Instead of snapping, let’s really take a look at some film,” Kerr said of his approach during the midseason rut. “Let’s be stern but not angry, analytical but not emotional.”
This is not his first instinct, as Kerr acknowledged and as he showed last week. He learned from mentors Jackson and Gregg Popovich the importance of striking a balance between respect and intensity in interactions with his team.
“The players need to see my competitive spirit,” Kerr said. “If that means yelling at them, great, but I’m not going to insult them personally. I’m going to yell at them for not boxing out. This is, ‘Hey, we’re trying to f—ing win! This is what we need! Let’s go!’ ”
Kerr clearly made his point. Despite the focus and injury issues this season, the Warriors usually responded. They won seven consecutive games after that pedestrian start, and they also won seven straight after a rejuvenating All-Star break.
Most of the time, Kerr set the right tone. Assistant coach Mike Brown, who has 347 victories as an NBA head coach and went 11-0 pinchhitting for Kerr during last year’s playoffs (when Kerr was sidelined with health issues), marveled at his boss’ gift for “messaging.”
That’s no small feat given how much time coaches and players spend together over a long, arduous season. Kerr has learned to keep his pregame speeches succinct, without a trace of Knute Rockne.
“Steve understands the reality: One voice all the time gets tiring to the players, so he always uses an economy of words,” assistant coach Ron Adams said.
Warriors players listened to Brown’s voice during those 11 playoff games last year, and Luke Walton’s during his 43 games as acting coach to start the 2015-16 season. Kerr took a break both times to deal with complications in the wake of two back surgeries in the summer of ’15.
Now, on the brink of the playoffs, Kerr has a chance to make it through an entire season for the first time since the surgeries.
“I feel good,” he said. “I’m not 100 percent. I still have pain, but I’ve learned to manage it better. … I’m still hopeful my life might return to pain-free, but I’m doing fine.”
He’s doing well enough to savor his relationship with Green. They still scream at each other every now and then, but they’ve come a long way since their first season together.
Kerr routinely seeks Green’s advice (and Iguodala’s) on how to structure practice schedules, or when to give the players a day off. Kerr sometimes texts Green to suggest they talk, simply because it’s been a while.
This might be the biggest lesson of Kerr’s first four seasons as an NBA head coach: Stay connected to your players.
“I mostly just listen now,” Green said, smiling. “If I think something different, I’ll go to Steve and say it as opposed to letting it build up. I’ll say, ‘This is bothering me.’ … It’s a partnership working together to try to better this team.”
Or, as Kerr said, “There’s less confrontation and more collaboration. But we understand that each one of us has the potential to snap at any moment (chuckling), which we respect in each other. We need Draymond’s edge, his fire.”
Another lesson of these past four seasons: Kerr’s edge and fire help, too.