Kerr reveals roles of new Warriors assistants Stotts and Stackhouse Originally appeared in NBC Bay Area Sports
Although Steve Kerr has been the Warriors’ coach for a decade, his staff has experienced constant turnover.
This offseason, Golden State hired two new assistant coaches Supporting Kerr on the bench were former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts and former NBA player Jerry Stackhouse.
As Kerr revealed to Anthony Slater According to The Athletic, Stotts and Stackhouse will have specific roles on the Warriors’ team. Stotts will focus on providing structure to Golden State’s offense, while Stackhouse’s duty will revolve more around defense, alongside his teammates. Assistant Chris DeMarco.
Stotts, who has a 14-year NBA head coaching career and a Finals victory as an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks, brings plenty of experience to the Warriors’ bench. Stotts said he won’t do much to fine-tune the Warriors’ current offense around Steph Curry and Draymond Green, but will look to add a more precise system that can help the team’s young talent.
“Steve loves to read and react. I think that’s the best way to play. But at the same time, you can set a framework,” Stotts told The Athletic. “What I like is to have a play, but within that play, you don’t know what’s going to happen. You can have splits or flares or pindowns or pick-and-rolls and that freedom within a structure.”
Stotts was not only attractive for his in-game tactics, but his personality also played a big role in his hiring, according to Slater’s report.
On the other hand, Stackhouse, a two-time NBA All-Star, caught Kerr’s attention largely because of his experience as a player.
“We’ve missed a former player the last few years,” Kerr told The Athletic. “I love that he was the head coach at Vandy for five years. He’s not only a former player, he’s a former All-Star. He commands respect.”
As Vanderbilt’s head coach for the past five years, Stackhouse also brings experience mentoring young players, which could prove especially valuable to a Warriors team. full of youthful potential.
Golden State had a rough start to the 2023-24 NBA season on defense, but the group finished strong in that area. Stackhouse, who joins the coaching staff, will look to build on that positive momentum in that area.
So as the Warriors become increasingly reliant on their more inexperienced pieces heading into the post-Klay Thompson era, the organization is making a concerted effort to offset that with veteran coaches who excel in certain areas.