Stackhouse holds newly motivated Warriors defense accountable originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Someone has clearly lit the fire under the Warriors defense this season, and you should look no further than new assistant coach Jerry Stackhouse.
Golden State forward Draymond Green spoke to reporters after the team’s impressive performance. 104-89 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday at Chase Center, where he was asked about the impact Stackhouse has had early in his first season with the team.
Draymond Green details Jerry Stackhouse’s impact as defensive coordinator. Mentions Stackhouse’s level of accountability and rating system that allows players to improve their level of competition. pic.twitter.com/Deh1vqmYCy
-Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 31, 2024
“He adds some fire and a level of responsibility to us on the defensive end. He kind of came in implementing some kind of defensive rules,” Green said of Stackhouse. “If you know anything about the NBA, it’s that we all run the same things. And he’s coming back from college, obviously. Stack is a legend, (he has) 17 to 18,000 points in this league.”
Stackhouse, an 18-year NBA veteran, most recently served as Vanderbilt’s head coach for five seasons before join Steve Kerr’s team as an assistant this offseason.
Mainly focused on the Warriors’ defense, Stackhouse, upon his arrival, implemented some new rules that the team, despite its initial hesitations, learned to appreciate at the start of the season.
“But he came in with a few different rules where everyone was like ‘huh,’ but he was so confident and he talked about it so much and every time you messed up he would teach you ‘That’s not it, I know you .’ “I did it this way. It’s not that,” Green added. “And when someone comes in with that type of strength, that type of confidence and presence, as a player you have no choice but to believe it.
“And he gave the guys a level of defensive confidence that we didn’t have. But like I said, more importantly, a level of responsibility that we haven’t had in the last couple of years. That’s all he talks about, he doesn’t say a word about offense, only defense, and he’s on guys every play.”
One of the changes Stackhouse has made off the field directly leads to better defense on the field.
The new Warriors coach implemented a system in which each player now receives a grade, based on certain criteria, for their defensive performance in a game.
“He has these defensive notes that he sends out every game, and you see guys approaching him like it’s competitive now,” Green said. “You get criticized for everything, one little thing and your rating goes down. And it’s like a list of everything you do. And you don’t want to see that list and you have a lot of problems on it.
“So he’s brought a certain level of responsibility to that side of the ball for us and he’s created that challenge where everyone’s trying to be at the front of the line. In turn, that creates a good defense for us.”
Unlike the average uninspired high school teenager, the Warriors strive for good grades in all areas.
Through four games this season, Golden State has the second-best defensive rating (98.4), allows the second-fewest points per game (99.4), has the third-most steals (11.6) and the sixth-most of blocks (6,8).
It’s safe to say that Stackhouse’s methods have been well received.
