As a college basketball player and later as a coach, I was of the belief that, apart from talent, one needed to possess a certain physique and height to be able to excel in this game.
Steph Curry, who has the physique of an Asian, has totally debunked this belief and has opened my mind to new possibilities that I could never have imagined on my own.
Please allow me to share with you today my perspective from a coach’s point of view, of what I see as some of the reasons Curry has been able to play the way he does and lead the Warriors to break the NBA record of home wins.
Whenever I watch a basketball game live or on TV, I try to coach both teams in my mind and try to guess what the coaches are trying to do.
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I believe that the development of every player on the team rests on the style of the coach and how he handles his players.
Most players who have become professional coaches come from the position of having played guard during their playing days. This is true not only in America but also in the Philippines.
Given the position the guard plays, he is the one expected to control the flow of the game. In other words, he plays the role of “coach” on the court.
Now this is where it gets interesting.
Curry’s coach, Steve Kerr, was NOT a point guard during his playing days but he was an exceptional shooter who played minimal minutes with some of the best players (Michael Jordan) and coaches (Phil Jackson and Greg Popovich).
Now that Kerr is the Warriors coach, he appears to be courageous enough to change the coaching platform.
Kerr gives his players the freedom to use their imaginations freely and maximize their athletic ability to the fullest.
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It is very rare to see a center that rebounds and is also allowed to bring the ball down as a point guard. This formula goes contrary to all the recipes written in the coaching books, but Kerr allows this.
In my opinion, apart from Curry’s talent and hard work, his rising popularity and the success of his team could very well be attributed to the radical change in the coaching philosophy of Kerr and his assistant, Luke Walton.
Though it may be difficult to change the style of the coaches in the PBA because their beliefs in what they are already doing are so strong, our college coaches can get inspiration and new ideas from watching the Warriors play.
I feel that the formula Kerr is using is so enjoyable to watch. It is like a breath of fresh air. He has shown how a collaborative method between coach and player could very well be the new way to develop the player, the team and the game of basketball further.
source: sports.inquirer.net
