Doc Rivers and Steve Kerr discuss the challenges JJ Redick may encounter as the Lakers’ coach.
Steve Kerr oversaw his first practice as an NBA head coach on September 30, 2104. Kerr became leadership of the Golden State Warriors, a position he accepted without any prior coaching background.
Stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green stared back at Kerr as he peered out in front of him, ready for the rookie to implement his coaching scheme on that first day.
To be honest, it was a little bit of a s— show. Kerr laughed as he recalled his first day as the Warriors’ coach. “I had these plans with the coaching staff beforehand, but it was like the first day of school, only I was a brand new teacher,” Kerr said. “You need to work through the kinks in the path and resolve issues. However, I recall that the first two days were a little disorganized. I had a lot of things I wanted to accomplish. It didn’t take me long to discover that you don’t have nearly as much time as you had anticipated to handle every problem. And a large portion of it is that.
People not permitted to talk publicly on the subject claim that if JJ Redick accepts the head coaching position that appears to be his, it will be advantageous to have the correct staff because he lacks coaching expertise.
As a player, Kerr took home five NBA titles. After retiring, he became a minority owner of the Suns and went on to become the team’s general manager and president of basketball operations. He resigned from that position and joined TNT as an analyst, remaining there until 2014 when he left to take over as the Warriors’ coach.
He soon discovered that it was best to rely on his extremely talented and knowledgeable staff during both the early practice sessions and the games during his first coaching experience.
Kerr sought guidance from former NBA assistant coach Alvin Gentry and Ron Adams, who was regarded as the master of assistant coaching at the time.
“I was fortunate to have Alvin Gentry and Ron Adams with me. I shouldn’t call it luck, though. Knowing that I would want their knowledge, I deliberately hired them,” said Kerr, who went on to win the first of his four NBA titles in his inaugural year. “And they helped me through that transition process and they were great, fantastic people.”
The Times interviewed with five former players who went on to become head coaches without needing to start as backups, and all of them insisted that having wise assistants on staff is crucial for direction.
In addition to becoming an analyst for ABC/ESPN and co-hosting the “Mind the Game” podcast with LeBron James of the Lakers, Redick spent fifteen seasons as an NBA player.
“In the event that JJ is hired, he has had some time away from the game and has had the chance to interact with guys in different environments,” stated Derek Fisher, the Crespi High coach who won five NBA titles with the Lakers before taking a new role as head coach of the New York Knicks in 2021.
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