Steve Kerr is far better suited than most NBA coaches to guide a team in pursuit of multiple championships. He spent five seasons of his 15-year career with the Chicago Bulls, winning three consecutive championships in the late 1990s. He won two more rings with the San Antonio Spurs, too, even becoming one of the only players in modern league history to win four straight titles when the Spurs took down the New York Knicks in 1999.

Needless to say, Kerr was uniquely and fully aware of the pitfalls likely to afflict the Golden State Warriors both in 2018-19 and the previous season. Perhaps sensing that looming discontent, a Warriors official asked Kevin Durant to “liven up his disposition” on multiple occasions throughout last season, a request the two-time Finals MVP says caused him to dive even “deeper” into his craft.

“I just dove deeper into the game,” Durant said, per Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes. “I just worked out as hard as I could and focused on being the best player I could be every day. In particular in practice, I really had fun diving into that. I never felt that deep about the game and about every part. Even the small parts from a drill we did in a defensive segment to hitting the game-winner and everything in between. I just really dove into that as I was hearing all of this noise around me.”

Article Continues Below
More Warriors News
Stephen Curry Olympics dagger against France
Clippers’ Nic Batum drops eye-opening take on Stephen Curry’s Olympic heroicsAlex House ·
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) dribbles upcourt against the San Antonio Spurs in the second period at Chase Center.
Warriors rumors: Jonathan Kuminga free agency hit with harsh reality from InsiderJulian Ojeda ·
LeBron James, Stephen (Steph) Curry, who may be heading to an ESPN NBA broadcasting booth after they retire, after Lakers-Warriors game on December 25, 2024.
ESPN has ‘hopeful’ LeBron James, Stephen Curry wishAndrew Korpan ·
Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) in the third quarter at the Chase Center with Richard Jefferson in the background
Richard Jefferson drops Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over Stephen Curry takeJosue Pavon ·
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena.
Warriors’ Draymond Green disagrees with LeBron James’ radical playoff ideaMalik Brown ·
Houston Cougars guard LJ Cryer (4) during team introductions before the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena.
Warriors work out champion who shot 41.3 percent from 3-point landDavid Yapkowitz ·

It's unclear if Kerr is the anonymous official in question, but he's hardly been shy about Durant's state of mind during his time with the Warriors. Kerr has publicly mentioned on multiple occasions a conversation he had with Durant midway through the 2017-18 season about the Warriors “losing him,” and has also alluded to Durant's largely unknowable personality in general.

Durant, of course, left the Warriors in free agency, signing with the Brooklyn Nets.