Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr isn’t afraid to admit the game is changing, and that not all of it plays to his strengths.
During a recent appearance on ‘The Glue Guys’ podcast, Kerr opened up about the challenges of coaching young players in today’s NBA, pointing to the league’s emphasis on player development and his own leadership style as obstacles to grooming 19-year-old rookies.
“I really lean on my younger coaches,” said Kerr. “One of the ways the league is so different now is that we’re now a developmental league. Another part that was different was the schedule. We’d have like three games in four nights, then four days off, so you’d have two great practices.”
The NBA has really condensed the regular-season calendar, and it’s made it even harder for coaches like Kerr to set a consistent practice schedule. The result has been a much more difficult learning process for all of the younger and developing players in the league.
“Now, basically, the schedule is you play every other day, all year long,” Kerr added. “We don’t practice anymore. So we have to develop these 19-year-old kids who are coming into the league without much practice time…Frankly, I’m not great — I’m an older coach. So I lean on the young [coaches].”
Steve Kerr was hired as the Warriors’ head coach in 2014, and he’s been running the show ever since. Over the past 11 years, he’s led the Warriors through countless obstacles en route to four NBA championships. Of course, the league has changed a lot since the golden days of the dynasty.
In the modern NBA, schedule and culture changes have made practices much less common, which means young players have to learn on the fly.
For Kerr, his struggles with player development are reflected in his relationship with Jonathan Kuminga. The 22-year-old swingman was drafted 7th overall in 2021 and has blossomed into an elite prospect for the Warriors. Last season, in 47 games, he averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on 45.4% shooting.
With the Warriors’ core aging, Kuminga should be next in line to take up the mantle, and he’s still got plenty of time to grow and maximize his game. Unfortunately, Kuminga’s role has been inconsistent, and it’s created a massive divide between him and his coach.
For every mistake, Kuminga gets punished harshly, leading to several DNPs and feelings of resentment toward Kerr. The impact on his game has not been good. After a strong start, Kuminga’s numbers dipped late in the year, a reflection of his inconsistent role.
Without the practice time or the freedom to learn from his mistakes, Kuminga is struggling to find his place, and he believes the Warriors have been holding him back. At the very least, Steve Kerr is aware of his shortcomings, and there is hope that one of the assistant coaches can get through to him.
Kerr’s honesty sheds light on a growing dilemma across the NBA: how do teams develop raw talent in a league that no longer makes room for real teaching? For veterans, the new pace may not be a problem, but for young players like Jonathan Kuminga, the lack of practice and patience can stall growth before it even begins.
Unless the system changes, or coaches like Kerr evolve with it, the next generation of stars may be forced to learn the hard way, without the runway they need to succeed.
