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Steve Kerr has shifted from the head coach of the Golden State Warriors to full-time scout now that the season has been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Kerr said recently that he has started watching film of some of the top prospects in the 2020 NBA Draft. Since the Warriors are the odds-on favorites to land the top pick, Kerr is in a bit of a unique situation since he is typically preparing for the playoffs at this point of the year.
The Warriors posted the worst record in the league prior to the suspension and have struggled to stay healthy. Key players like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have all missed time but the down season created an opening for the younger players on the roster, including rookies Eric Paschall, Jordan Poole and others.
Kerr spoke with Warriors TV play-by-play broadcaster Bob Fitzgerald recently about a variety of topics and called the 2019-20 season “productive” from a development perspective.
I think the biggest thing we’re trying to do is develop players for the future, both short term and long. When you have a season like this where everything goes wrong, you’ve got injuries and the record is bad and you’re struggling, it’s the smaller battles you try to win. Those smaller battles are really about player development and culture and incorporating guys into your system and teaching them what it’s about to be a member of the Warriors.
I thought from that standpoint, it was a productive season because you saw the growth of our rookies. For example, Eric Paschall had a terrific year. Jordan Poole really came along toward the end of the season. The two-way contributions of Ky Bowman and Juan Toscano-Anderson and Mike Mulder at the end of the year. That was all really good stuff. … To use this season to see those guys develop, see their individual careers start to blossom, it’s easy to see them helping us next year when we get healthy.
Paschall emerged as one of the top rookies this season after averaging 14 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 60 games played. He is fourth in scoring among all first-year players and is one of four rookies to have multiple 30-point games this season.
Poole struggled to stay consistent for most of the year but saw improvement toward the end of the season after a brief stint in the G League while Bowman saw his two-way contract upgraded to a standard NBA contract in February.
The Warriors project to be a much different team next season with a healthy roster so it is unclear how much time these younger players will see but this year gave the organization an extended look at their potential.
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