If Klay Thompson ends up getting that big extension before the Oct. 31 deadline, then he must consider giving some of it to new Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, whose opened-up offense has been generating only quality seems for its shooting guard throughout the preseason.
Thompson can keep the majority of the cash; the vast majority of his improvement has to do with killer assurance and a perfect release. We can’t credit Kerr for those items.
What’s happening with Thompson is a symptom of a bigger shift in Golden State–one that is giving rise to the expectation that last year’s 51-win effort was only the beginning.
B/R’s Howard Beck chronicled the issues with former head coach Mark Jackson’s plan of attack:”The crime too frequently stalled and stagnated, resulting in muddled isolation plays and contested jumpers. There was little movement or dynamism, and little awareness of cohesion.”
Already among the league’s best defensive outfits (the Warriors ranked third in defensive performance last year), Kerr’s club is currently moving the ball superbly on crime. Andrew Bogut and David Lee, fantastic passers equally, are now hubs of the assault, and Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala et al. are feasting on cuts, flares and brush displays.
All this, and Kerr has just had a few months to set up the basics of his admittedly complex scheme.
If Golden State gets beyond the turnovers that hurt it last year and proceeded to crop up throughout the preseason, it’s the team with the best shot to take one of the West’s top 3 places from the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Los Angeles Clippers or San Antonio Spurs.
If this occurs, Thompson won’t be lonely in due a debt to Kerr. Fans across the Bay Area will be there with him.
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