Warriors coach Steve Kerr has only known one job — as head coach. He’s only patrolled an NBA sideline for Golden State, but Kerr has done it all in the NBA as a former player, broadcaster, and executive.
And what a success he’s been. A nine-time NBA champ, Kerr won five titles as a player and four with the Warriors in the 10 years he’s coached thus far. As noted by The Athletic, Kerr’s 10th anniversary in Golden State fell on May 14.
Kerr took over for coach Mark Jackson. Jackson recognized the greatness in guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and coached the team to contender status after the franchise had been an afterthought for years. So Kerr’s hire was questioned by many from the start. He still faces questions about some of his coaching strategies, but his record speaks for itself — as he also utilized Curry’s greatness to produce results.
During his time there, Kerr has amassed a record of 519-274 – a ridiculous 65.4 winning percentage that leads the NBA in that time. That’s also the fifth-highest winning percentage for any coach with at least 650 games. Kerr’s 99-41 playoff record accounts for the highest playoff win percentage ever (.707). And, two years ago, the Warriors won their fourth title in six games against Boston.
Clearly, Kerr did more with Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green than Jackson could. But still, a certain segment of Warriors fanatics don’t hold Kerr in such high regard. After listing Kerr’s accomplishments, The Athletic asked: “So … why are online Warriors fans so fed up with Kerr as a coach?”
So why are some online fans — many of them anonymous online fans — fed up with Kerr? Primarily, it’s Kerr’s motion offense. As The Athletic notes, former Warriors NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant also grew frustrated with Kerr’s offense at times. Additionally, Kerr’s player rotations and his questionable decisions regarding young players rile some fans.
Kerr certainly isn’t perfect, and I think that besides his controversial handling of Jonathan Kuminga’s playing time, starting former Warriors center James Wiseman as a rookie was a huge mistake.
But complaining about Kerr’s offense is where I disagree with the Kerr criticism. The motion offense is what catapulted the Warriors to championship status after Kerr took over for Jackson. Jackson’s Warriors teams played incredible defense but couldn’t unlock Curry’s immense potential on offense. That’s why Kerr was brought in, and he did just that.
There are some bad moments for the motion offense — namely, times when it seems a good old-fashioned pick-and-roll would be a better option. That’s especially true considering how lethal the Green and Curry pick and roll can be.
To complain about the Kerr offense, however, is like criticizing the inventor of the light bulb because suddenly, the room is too bright.
Sensible NBA fans can disagree, and that’s certainly the case here, as The Athletic puts it:
[Kerr’s] stint has been one of the most fascinating case studies in on-court success versus online perception because, at times, there’s validity to both sides.
So however you mark the occasion, it’s been 10 years of coach Steve Kerr leading the Golden State Warriors. I’ll choose to celebrate. For those who’d rather not, we can all celebrate the four NBA titles Kerr helped — he at least helped, right? — bring to Golden State.
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