How the Warriors’ new blood on the coaching staff is already paying off originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – There are two reasons why the Warriors won 10 of their first 12 games this season, because both are the fruit of positive change.
The obvious step is to redesign the selection. General manager Mike Dunleavy and his front office cohorts added three veterans: Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield and De’Anthony Melton. The result is an overall upgrade.
Less obvious, but just as important, is the reorganization of the technical staff. Head coach Steve Kerr brought in veteran coach Terry Stotts to refine the offense and NBA player-turned-coach Jerry Stackhouse to reshape the defense.
“Both Terry and Jerry played great games,” Kerr said after practice on Sunday. “Sometimes you need new blood on the roster, and sometimes you need it in the technical staff. You need different voices. You need different experiences.”
Stotts, 66, was a four-year starter at the University of Oklahoma who has coached at various levels over the past 42 years, most notably as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers for nine seasons ending in 2020-2021.
The Warriors rank fourth in offensive rating (118.4), third in scoring (121.3 points per game) and second in 3-point shooting percentage (39.2). In those respective categories, they ranked ninth (116.9), eighth (117.8) and seventh (38.0) last season.
Stackhouse, 50, was an All-America at North Carolina before being selected No. 3 overall in the 1995 NBA draft. After an 18-season NBA career that included two All-Star Game appearances and ended in 2013, he turned to coaching.
After finishing 15th in defensive rating (114.5) last season, Golden State is fourth (107.9) so far this season. The Warriors, who ranked 18th in points allowed last season, have climbed to eighth this season. They rose from 23rd to fourth in steals, and from 23rd to eighth in blocks. Only one team, Houston, allows fewer fast-break points. Nineteen teams allowed fewer such points last season.
“We play both ways,” Kerr said. “We are in the top five, both in attack and defense. We play a lot of people and everyone we play comes in and plays with a lot of energy. As a coach that is a kind of holy grail.”
The personnel changes were necessary. Dejan Milojević, hired in 2021 primarily to coach Golden State’s big men, died in January and was not immediately replaced. Lead assistant Kenny Atkinson was lured to Cleveland in June to become head coach of the Cavaliers – who own the best record in the NBA at 14-0 going into Sunday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Warriors, who finished 10th in the Western Conference last season, are 10-2 in second place (would move into first place if OKC loses to Dallas on Sunday).
So yes, players deserve most of the credit for the Warriors’ best start since the 2021-22 season, which ended with a win in the NBA Finals. But changes within the coaching staff are also an important part of their encouraging start.
“I couldn’t be happier with those two guys, what they mean to me and what they mean to our team,” Kerr said of Stotts and Stackhouse. “It goes way beyond X’s and O’s and what coverages we do or what plays we run. It’s just the culture, the fit in the culture, and the additions to it, and the atmosphere, the friendship and the collaboration. They are both great coaches, but I also look forward to seeing and working with them every day.”
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