Since the arrival of Steve Kerr at the helm of the Warriors 10 years ago, their offensive identity has been based on the movement of players and the ball. To maximize the threat posed by Stephen Curry, the Warriors often played with game principles without systematically implementing systems. The goal has always been to take advantage of the chaos created by Curry and Klay Thompson to punish the opposing defense.
This way of playing at 100 miles an hour obviously brought four championship titles to the Warriors, even though the team lost the most balls in the league. In their prosperous years, they had so much leeway that they could afford such waste. With an NBA that now plays much faster and with the Warriors who no longer have the talent they had before, Steve Kerr had established a clear observation after a disappointing 2023-2024 season. His team needed to reduce turnovers to be more efficient in attack and not put the defense in a difficult position.
Real training work
During the summer, the Golden State coach therefore turned to his coaching staff and that of the Santa Cruz G-League team to bring more structure to his team's game without losing their playing identity. .
“Our young coaches are partly responsible for the changes we implemented during the training camp. We learned a lot from Seth Cooper (Director of Player Development), Lainn Wilson (Video Coordinator) and Will Sheehey (Assistant Player Development Coach). Over the last two seasons, they have done a great job with our young players. whether with the first team or at Santa Cruz,” Kerr explained. “I spent a lot of time with them this summer and asked them for advice on how we can be more organized while still keeping our movement. »
Another element of this equation is the adoption of players, particularly Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, who have been accustomed to playing and winning a certain way for ten years.
“I take my hat off to them because they came to training camp with an open mind. When your leaders let you coach them and are willing to adapt to the change you propose, everyone follows.” welcomes Kerr. “Since the start of the season, I have been demanding of them because their lost balls before allowed us to play faster than the opponent and it was waste that we could live with. This is no longer the case. »
More rigor at the start of possession
The changes Steve Kerr is talking about are not drastic but their impact is striking. “This season we are much more organized. We will always be an unselfish team that keeps the ball alive but this season we are being more particular about how we start our possessions. We make sure we are in certain positions on the pitch so that our spacing is good. Our risk-taking is much more measured,” summarizes the coach.
The Warriors therefore continue to play their game but the risky passes from Curry and Green which end up in the stands or in the hands of the opponent are becoming much rarer.
“We still have a lot of room for improvement but I am satisfied with the progress shown since the start of the season because we are losing fewer balls, and thanks to that our defense in transition is much more effective,” noted the technician.
In addition to their record of ten wins for only two defeats in the first twelve games of the season, the Warriors are in the Top 5 at theoffensive and defensive evaluation this season, while they were outside the top 10 last season.
Comments collected in San Francisco.
