The Golden State Warriors have been the most successful NBA franchise of the past decade, and it hasn’t been particularly close. Their four championships speak for themselves, and they’ve continued to find success even as some crucial elements of the team have changed.
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That’s because there have been three constants, and they’re at the same time wildly different but super complementary. Steph Curry, Draymond Green and head coach Steve Kerr are the foundation on which the team has been built.
Steph was on Mind the Game with LeBron James and Steve Nash recently, and Part 2 of their conversation dropped this morning. The entire thing is utterly engrossing for any basketball fan, but one part that really stood out is when Steph talked about the different kinds of leadership and how the Warriors have made it all work for so long.
“I was never the loudest voice in the room,” he said, “and it took me while to develop, not just the confidence, but the skill set of your presence, the skill set of timely messages, how to get people’s attention, how an audience in the locker room can relate to what you’re saying, how you’re saying and what you’re trying to get out of them.”
“All that’s been built over time,” he continued. “I’m still learning to this day.” He then spoke about how beneficial it’s been to the Warriors to have someone like Draymond, one of the most outspoken personalities in the league, to add a little spice to his sugar.
“Draymond … has been the fire that we need on a daily basis,” he explained. “He’ll tell you, he don’t know what you’re getting when you come in every day, but you need that to get you through the times when we need a little spark. Like we need somebody to say, ‘F-U’ to whoever’s in that other locker room and create an enemy.”
Steph described his and Draymond’s differing personalities as a “tug-of-war.” He makes sure the Warriors’ emotions don’t get the best of them, while Draymond ensures that the team never gets complacent.
That’s been the Warriors’ secret sauce for so long, and it’s been helped by the fact that Steve Kerr lets everyone be who they are without trying to change them. “He’s the most personable, see-the-human-first type of guy that I’ve ever met, and he always leads with that,” he said.
The coach is the leader of the team, but more than anyone, Kerr has always understood that it’s the players who make things go. He got the best possible crash course on that as a member of the Jordan-era Bulls and the Duncan-era Spurs, and he saw the way Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich, arguably the two greatest to ever do it, got the most out of their players.
It seems not a game goes by that Kerr doesn’t profusely compliment Steph for what he brings to the table. Like a parent who shows all his kids love, though, he also talks frequently about how indispensable Draymond is, even if sometimes the pendulum can swing a little too far one way with him.
Opposing fans have been praying for the Warriors’ downfall for years, but it still hasn’t come because of the chemistry that this trio has. Golden State is in the mix early in the season at 9-6, and with Steph dropping 95 points in back-to-back games against the Spurs last week, they don’t look to be slowing down any time soon.
