OAKLAND–Steve Kerr has quite the NBA pedigree.
From 1993 to 1998 Kerr played under Phil Jackson as a member of the Chicago Bulls. Later in his career, he played four years in San Antonio under Gregg Popovitch. Playing under the two must have helped, because in his first three years at the helm of the Golden State Warriors Kerr has a better record as a head coach (.841) than either Pop (.694) or The Zen Master (.704).
Playing and studying under coaches like those two you’re going to pick up some masters-level tips of the trade, and one of those was knowing how to work younger players into the team and help them grow.
Kerr told reporters Thursday that with the talent the Warriors have, the team can afford to play younger players during games that actually matter, not just at garbage time. He said he first saw Phil Jackson do this when he was a player on the Chicago Bulls.
“Didn’t matter who you were,” Kerr said. “Phil wouldn’t let you go more than a couple of weeks without throwing you into the middle of a game, even just for a couple of minutes. So you had to stay on your toes.”
For Oregon rookie Jordan Bell, this means more playing alongside some of the best in the business.
“It’s a huge blessing for somebody like Jordan Bell in his first NBA experience and go out there with three or four All-Stars,” said Kerr. “He’s going to look better. He’s going to feel better. He’s going to gain more confidence.
“I think the fact that we have the team that we do, and all the talent, that allows us to incorporate guys without losing too much ground. So it’s a good place for a young player to grow.”
Kerr did the same thing with Patrick McCaw last year. The Warriors played the rookie out of UNLV consistently throughout the year, and when the playoffs rolled around McCaw had major playing time, playing in 15 of the team’s 17 playoff games.
And that’s another coaching lesson from Professor Jackson.
“What really jumps out with Phil is how many times in a playoff game he would throw somebody out there who made a big impact,” Kerr said. “Bobby Hansen, Jed Beuchler, Stacey King, Corey Blount. We just had guys who maybe weren’t part of the regular rotation and it was a matchup that fit, and because of all the work that guys had done in the regular season and the playing time they had, they were prepared for the playoffs. And that’s what we try to do. Keep everybody ready.”
This week at practice the team has been running three-on-three drills, and Thursday the team had a 12-minute scrimmage. Warriors rookie Jordan Bell has already been thrown into the fire, mainly matching up against the likes of Draymond Green and Kevin Durant.
“They understand obviously I’m new,” Bell said Thursday. “So I have to learn all the new plays and the way they play here. It’s not much yelling or anything like that. If I mess up they just come over and talk to me. Each day I get more and more comfortable.”
“The older guys bring the younger guys aside and give them a hint here, a clue there,” Kerr said. “That’s all part of the team process. Making sure everybody’s teaching, everybody’s learning.”
Phil Jackson may have been recently run out of town in New York, but his magic is still working in the Golden State of California.
And besides, Phil was always more of a West Coast guy anyway.
