SAN FRANCISCO – The offense Steve Kerr installed 10 years ago, with crisps passes and player movement creating basketball symphony, is being updated. The Warriors want a different look, one they believe befits the current roster.
Despite the team’s tremendous success under Kerr, this should be an easy sell. The most important component understands it and already has bought in.
“You get smacked in the face and don't make the playoffs, that's all the real message you need, the reminder you need that,” 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 need to have.
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“But when it comes down to your Xs and Os and the style and all that type of stuff, being open to evolving and pivoting and figuring out what -- especially how 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 trillion rotations in search of a unit that could defend well and still generate enough offense to keep pace. Though 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team started two non-shooters – Draymond Green and Kevon Looney – Kerr and his staff realized that formula is outdated in a league where most contenders spread the floor with four or five shooters.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 like I'm coming into this training camp with an open mind of how we're supposed to play,” Curry said. “I know there's a Warrior mentality and culture of how we do things. There's a system that we ran for a decade plus that has worked. It doesn't necessarily mean that's how this team needs to play. We have to have antennas up 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 summertime moves – and his statements a few days ago.
Golden State Warriors
“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 simplifying some of the actions that we run so that the players know exactly what they're doing and not have too many options for them. Finding that balance where we can maintain 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 indication was Golden State’s 22nd-ranked 14.2 turnover ratio. For context, this was slightly worse than the 21-61 Charlotte Hornets and markedly inferior to the sub-.500 Chicago Bulls. This is where simplicity seems a wise choice.
The third indication was Golden State’s offensive rating, 116.9 per 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 lead assistant Terry Stotts, one of the game’s better offensive minds. 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 hunters, amongst many other teams,” Curry said. “What can this team do to maximize every skill set 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) haven't been together as teammates. Whatever narrative you want to kind of key in on, for us to win, you've got to think things differently.
“It doesn't mean you're not going to see some consistencies with how we've played before. But featuring some of the young guys, that put us in the position to be successful. The different rotations that will get us in a position to compete with the best teams in the league, we have to be able to figure that out and got to do it quickly.”
Though the front office, led by general manager Mike Dunleavy and CEO Joe Lacob, were tasked with reshaping the roster, Kerr and Curry each had a voice in the direction. The result is three veterans – Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton – who are deep-shooting threats. All three have multiple seasons in which they topped 37 percent from distance.
Now it’s on Kerr and Stotts, with help from Curry and Green, to integrate the new guys well enough to lift 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 many things to kind of work through when it comes to, again, the openness of how we're going to play, what's being asked of everybody individually with your role, different rotations that probably we'll experiment in training camp, preseason games, and maybe early into the year.”
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