Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and Boston Celtics' boss Brad Stevens share plenty of similarities. Both young men in the coaching ranks with intelligence, wit, and a sprinkle or sarcasm from time to time.
Both are also second in their respective conference, forced to lead their teams through the last stretch of the season with an injury-filled roster and hoping to keep players healthy enough to survive a long playoff run.
Both coaches have proven to have an excellent demeanor and reach their players in ways other colleagues have struggled to in the past.
“I think so,” said Kerr as his demeanor was compared to Stevens', according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. “It wears well over time. I think guys like Brad are going to be able to coach for a long time. I hope I can say the same thing about me.”
“Danny’s got his brain doctor, (Jon) Niednagel? I’ll bet you Brad and I have the same brain type. I think the quiet sort of listen-first brain lends itself well to coaching. I believe that.”
Neither coach is fiery as a Doc Rivers or a Stan Van Gundy, yet they do have some key differences. Kerr tends to be smile in the sideline and throw the occasional inside joke to some of his players, known to get a technical foul every now and then just to grab his players' attention, while Stevens is rather stoic, with a genius-like aura meant to shred every offensive scheme put in place against him.
“He’s got a great sideline demeanor. He’s very poised,” Kerr said. “And he’s obviously very sharp. You know, they run good stuff — on both sides of the ball.
“They do some things defensively that a lot of teams don’t do. They always seem to find a good shot in key situations. But I think it’s just the culture that they’ve established. You can see it. Everybody is poised and seemingly happy. He’s just got a really good way about him.”
Stevens and Kerr are now a bit more seasoned with the NBA coaching ranks, but also young enough to delight themselves in what it means to be at this level and bring such talented teams to the postseason, where heroes are forged.
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