Take it from one of the best emerging young players in the NBA, Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, about Mark Jackson’s impact as Golden State’s head coach.
“It’s not a coincidence that as time goes on we’re becoming a better team,” Curry told Sheridan Hoops on Wednesday night. “And that’s in large part due to his approach to the day-to-day and how he manages every single guy in this locker room.”
It’s very rare to see a team and its head coach simultaneously grow together, but that’s exactly what’s happening by the Bay. Despite a 102-98 loss to Brooklyn, Golden State just finished a 6-1 East Coast road trip and have won 10 of 11 and 11 of 13 after a middling, injury-riddled 13-12 start.
After speaking with several Warriors players, it’s clear and apparent that they greatly benefit from, and feed off of, Jackson’s energy, his knowledge of the game and his evolving coaching skills.
“We know who we are as a basketball team. We knew who we were when we were 13-12,” Jackson said. “We didn’t panic. We didn’t let go of the rope. We trusted each other. Ultimately we got healthy and we put together a run.”
Curry and David Lee were on Golden State before Jackson became the team’s head coach two years ago, but only saw their ascent and improvement to All-Star status with Jackson at the helm. Klay Thompson has become a legit offensive threat and a 3-point machine. Role players don’t fit seamlessly onto a team without being inserted into the proper situations, and that’s what Jackson has cultivated as the head coach.
“He’s really done an unbelievable job of taking our new personnel and integrating it into what he wants done,” Lee said.
New acquisition Andre Iguodala’s injury contributed to the team’s slow start, but Jackson was also slowly changing the team’s identity from an offensive juggernaut to a defensive force which also happens to have several cohesive, dynamic offensive pieces.
“We continue to get better on defense,” said reserve forward Draymond Green, who really slimmed down and has improved his game. “One thing we’ve known all year is that we can score the basketball. We can score the basketball just as good or better than anyone in the NBA. We just have to get stops. We’ve committed ourselves to getting better on the defensive end. It’s been working out for us.”
As Sheridan blog chief Jim Park pointed out earlier in the week, Golden State went from 14th in defensive rating (number of points allowed per 100 possessions) last year to third in the league this year. They also improved from 27th in the NBA in blocked shots to seventh.
Golden State may be third in the league in both 3-point percentage and made treys per game this season, but Jackson doesn’t want his team to be defined by their proficiency from behind the arc. When asked if he thought the Warriors “lived by the 3 and died by the 3,” Jackson replied “that sounds good, but we live by the D, and that’s defense. I think people who don’t watch us and watch highlights think that’s what we’re all about. But we are a top-notch defensive team and that’s how we win ballgames. Our foundation has been laid with defending and defending at a high level.”
The foundation for a top-notch defense was laid last year and has gotten even better this year:
| Warriors D (League Rank) | Points | FG % | 3 FG % | Pts/Shot | D Rating | Rebound Dif |
| 2012-2013 | 100.3 (19) | 43.9 (4) | 34.7 (7) | 1.18 (13) | 105.5 (14) | 2.3 (8) |
| 2013-2014 | 98.4 (10) | 42.9 (4) | 34.4 (8) | 1.17 (6) | 100.8 (3) | 4.2 (2) |
Reserve point guard Toney Douglas said that Jackson challenged the team to play better team defense this season and that the team accepted and embraced that challenge. “If we want to get far and have a great regular season and get far in the playoffs, we’re going to have to play defense no matter what the outcome is on the offensive end,” Douglas said.
“When you mix that [offensive] firepower in with getting stops and controlling the boards, which we do pretty well, and when we get out on the break, we’re pretty dangerous,” said Iguodala.