How Warriors’ new blood on coaching staff already paying dividends

Two reasons behind the Warriors winning 10 of their first 12 games this season are linked because both are the fruits of positive change.

The obvious move is retooling the roster. General manager Mike Dunleavy and his cohorts in the front office added three veterans: Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield and De’Anthony Melton. The result is an overall upgrade.

Less obvious, but just as significant, is the retooling of the coaching staff. Head coach Steve Kerr brought in veteran coach Terry Stotts to fine-tune the offense and NBA player-turned-coach Jerry Stackhouse to reform the defense.

“Both Terry and Jerry have been wonderful fits,” Kerr said Sunday after practice. “Sometimes you need new blood on the roster, and sometimes you need it on the coaching staff. You need different voices. You need different experiences.”

Stotts, 66, was a four-year starter at the University of Oklahoma who has spent the past 42 years coaching at various levels, most notably as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers for nine seasons ending in 2020-21.

The Warriors are 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 last season, they were ninth (116.9), eighth (117.8) and seventh (38.0).

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, which included two All-Star Game appearances and ended in 2013, he entered coaching.

After finishing 15th in defense rating (114.5) last season, Golden State is fourth (107.9) so far this season. The Warriors, 18th in points allowed last season, have moved up to eighth this season. They’ve risen from 23rd to fourth in steals, from 23rd to eighth in blocks. Only one team, Houston, is allowing fewer fast-break points. Nineteen teams allowed fewer such points last season.

“We’re playing both ends,” Kerr said. “We’re top five in both offense and defense, playing a lot of people and everybody we play is coming in and playing with great energy. As a coach that’s kind of the Holy Grail.”

The staff changes were necessary. Dejan Milojević, hired in 2021 primarily to coach Golden State’s big men, passed away 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 entering Sunday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets.

The Warriors, who last season finished 10th in the Western Conference, are 10-2 and in second place (would move into first if OKC loses to Dallas on Sunday).

So, yes, players deserve most of the praise for the Warriors’ best start since the 2021-22 season, which ended with an NBA Finals victory. But changes within the coaching staff also are a key component 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’re in or what plays we run. It’s just the culture, the fit into the culture, and adding to it, and the vibe and the friendship and the collaboration. They’re both just wonderful coaches but, also, I look forward to seeing them and working with them every day.”