Stats that prove Coach Kerr knows how to maximize the Warriors

I’m not a big NBA Twitter guy. I prefer to hear people blurting out nonsensical hot takes in person and over a couple glasses of smooth Hennessy.

But I had to do some social media homework on the eve of the Golden State Warriors wrapping up another stellar regular season campaign (en route to their seventh straight playoff appearance). #consistency

I was informed of a mobbish Warriors Twitter contingent that doesn’t think head coach Steve Kerr understands how to properly maximize the back-to-back champs’ offense. Of course, I assumed it had to be a complete joke. Kerr has done nothing but guide the Dubs to the Finals in every season of his residency here in the Bay Area.

I entered the Twitter hunting fields and searched for keywords that my GSoM Slack teammates gave me: “#FireKerr” “steph kd offense” “kd isos”.

And then this popped up:

Sarcasm, I thought at once. But then more tweets poured in.

That’s when I panicked. How did I miss Kerr’s offense becoming identity-less, disgusting, and less potent than the Houston Rockets’? Thankfully, I have access to a statistical database known as “Basketball-Reference.com”, which allowed me the privilege of investigating these spicy claims.

Did You Know?

• The Warriors are the only team this season with four players averaging 16+ points per game (with at least 30 games played).
• The champs finished with an offensive rating of 115.9. Not only did that lead the league...it is the highest ORTG in NBA history.
• Analytics guru Dean Oliver claimed that of the “Four Factors of Basketball Success”, effective field goal percentage is the most important. The Dubs led the league in eFG% at .565. That was second highest in NBA history, behind only last year’s Warriors at .569. In fact, the top four eFG% of all time belong to Kerr-coached Warriors teams.
• The Dubs set their franchise high for made 3PT in a season with 1087.
• The Warriors led the league with 2413 assists, 8th best in NBA history.
• Draymond Green led the team with 6.9 assists per game, Kevin Durant added a career high 5.9 dimes, and Steph Curry had 5.2 APG. This is only the seventh time in NBA history that a team had three players who averaged at least 5 assists. Larry Bird’s Celtics did it in four times in the ‘80s, the ‘93 Knicks pulled it off, and Andre Iguodala’s 2013 Nuggets nailed it as well.

And it looks like our three snipers got plenty of shots off this season. The Warriors three scoring machines averaged at least 20 PPG for the third straight season, becoming only the second trio to do so in NBA history.

Steph Curry 27.3 PPG/ 43 3P%/ 19.4 FGA per game (led team and second highest of career)

Kevin Durant 26 PPG/ 52 FG% (career high)/ 17.7 FGA per game

Klay Thompson 21.5 PPG/ 40 3P%/ 18 FGA per game (career high)

In Conclusion

Kerr’s offensive machine is still smashing records and churning out #1 seeds, and yet some folks still want more. It’s a testament to the Warriors greatness that Dub Nation still believes the team is capable of achieving higher efficiency.

Kerr’s public rating does suffer some from the fact that he has three of the greatest trick-shot makers in NBA history; his couch-seated detractors probably believe even they could coach this team.

So to be fair, I would like for those same detractors to turn on their PS4’s, boot up NBA2K, and simulate their proposed gameplans against me online. We can submit the game footage to Coach Kerr using my gold-blooded connections and finally show him what he’s been missing.

Until then, I guess we’ll have to just sit back and hope that Kerr can lead the Warriors to fifth straight Finals, and a third title in a row.