Forget the phrase, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” The Warriors of 2014-15 are banking on something to the effect of, “Familiarity breeds contentment.”
A team that won 51 games last season returns its top seven players in terms of minutes played: guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, swingman Andre Iguodala, forwards David Lee, Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes, and center Andrew Bogut.
First-year head coach Steve Kerr believes having such a large, accomplished core will make his job that much easier.
“The continuity that’s already here is crucial,” Kerr said. “I think basketball is all about how the pieces fit. The pieces already fit pretty well here. It’s just about continuing to take the next step and trying to get better.”
This is the first time in a quarter century that the Warriors have returned their top seven minute eaters from the previous season (it last happened in 1988-89). The continuity theme goes beyond last season. Of those seven players, only Iguodala was not with the Warriors in 2012-13, when they picked up 47 regular-season wins and reached the Western Conference semifinals.
“It’s ever so rare in this league that core groups stay together for two or three years anymore,” Bogut said. “The impatience of general managers and teams these days is at an all-time high. It’s one or two years and bang: There’s a trade. …
“We know each other’s tendencies and it helps in training camp. You don’t have to waste time on, ‘Hey, David Lee’s a good pick-and-roll guy. Andrew Bogut’s a good rebounder. Steph Curry, he likes the ball at this part of the three-point line.’ We know that already.”
The fact that so many key players have been with Golden State for a season or more gives them the confidence to smoothly adapt to Kerr and his staff.
Said Curry: “Somebody asked me the other day, ‘Is it to easier to deal with a coaching change or a personnel change?’ When you have chemistry with guys going into a season, having that established, it makes it a lot easier when you all go through the transition together. We can adjust quicker, I think …
“When you have that experience with each other over the last two, three years, it’s a lot easier to adjust to a tweak here or there.”
Most fans realize the importance of continuity for a team’s offense; players need to know not only the plays, but equally important, they need to know where and when a teammate likes to get the ball, where and when to go with a pick-and-roll or a pick-and-pop, et al.
Many fans might not realize the importance of continuity for a team’s defense; communication is paramount, and it’s usually easier to communicate when you’ve been together for a while.
For the final word on the benefits of familiarity, consider this from General Manager Bob Myers, the man most responsible for putting together the Warriors’ roster.
“If you’ve played basketball, you know there is a hard-to-quantify element of continuity,” Myers recently told Grantland.com. “Playing together with the same group of people for a long time makes you better.
“It just does.”
So how do the Warriors, in Lee’s words, “go from being a very good team to a great team”? One point of emphasis for Kerr and his staff in training camp was cutting down turnovers. The Warriors averaged 15.2 per game last season.
“I thought our defense, when it got set last year, was about as good as anybody's in the league,” Lee said. “But the problem is, we gave up so many run-outs and easy buckets.”
If the Warriors can minimize those easy buckets and they can stay healthy …
“I know we've got great players and great chemistry and everybody's pulling in the same direction,” Lee said.
Said Kerr: “This is going to be fun. We’ve got a good team. We’ve got a chance to have a great season, so let’s bring some energy and some life and enjoy ourselves.”
Steve Kroner is a longtime Bay Area sports media member who currently works for the San Francisco Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter at @SteveKronerSF