Steve Kerr is facing a rich man's problem, and finding playing time for everyone is becoming a real headache. His choice not to bring Jayson Tatum into the first match of the Games against Serbia sparked debate and questions and the coach had to justify it. Against South Sudan, it was Joel Embiid who remained on the bench, and here again Steve Kerr had to defuse a beginning of controversy, this time pleading the profile of the opponent.
Asked in the Dan Patrick Show, Mike Krzyzewski went along with the Warriors coach. A two-time Olympic champion as an assistant for Team USA in 1984 and 1992, then a three-time Olympic champion as a coach in 2008, 2012 and 2016, “Coach K” insisted on the importance of winning before the players' feelings, even if it meant limiting his rotation to 9-10 players max.
“Everybody will only be happy if we win. That’s what I told every team. The only question they’ll ask you is, ‘Did you win?’ Don’t worry about minutes, shots or anything else, just focus on winning.”he explained. “We made sure that each player was in agreement with the idea of doing their best to win.”
Favor a rotation of 9-10 players
While the task is undoubtedly more difficult for Steve Kerr in view of his roster, Mike Krzyzewski always made sure to operate in the same way to involve everyone: a starting five, a rotation of 4-5 players, and a five to finish the games that could come from both “units”. A method that has paid off…
“I tried to set up a rotation of about nine players, sometimes ten. I almost always had a starting five, and a second unit, never complete. I never changed five players for five others. And I think it's important, for really difficult matches, to have a five to finish, which can be a combination of the two. It's a formula that has worked very well,” he added. “We had guys like Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd, Carlos Boozer and even Anthony Davis, when he was young, who didn't play a lot. And then you'll have two or three guys who don't play at all or don't play a lot. You have to get to that point pretty quickly.”
Fits all types of basketball
The former Team USA coach also emphasized the importance of mastering the fundamentals of FIBA basketball, a parameter that Americans have learned to take more seriously since his time. Even more so with modern basketball, the notion of position was already tending to fade away.
“It’s very important to get used to the nuances of the game. I think the key is to not think in terms of positions, and especially for our country. I think we probably have the most positionless players, who can play multiple positions. In London in 2012, my five to finish was Kevin Durant, Kobe, LeBron, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul. And Chris Paul didn’t necessarily play point guard. Kobe or LeBron did. I never let myself get carried away on this court, except against teams with big guys, like Serbia who had a very big five at the time for example.”he concluded.
