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The player-coach was a common phenomenon in the early days of the NBA, but they eventually fell out of favor around the time of the merger (which may or may not have had something to do with the fact that the majority of those tasked with double duty had a losing record). Assuming there’s no substance to the theory Tyronn Lue is actually an elaborately-constructed marionette voiced by master ventriloquist LeBron James, it’s been 40 years since a team in the league has been helmed by someone who also has on-court responsibilities.
During last night’s game against the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr decided to pull out a fairly retro (and arguably disrespectful) gameplan when he handed over the clipboard to his players early on in the contest.
Coach @andre leads the @warriors huddle!#DubNation pic.twitter.com/bePWnGnuve
— NBA (@NBA) February 13, 2018
It might have seemed like a fairly unconventional strategy, but it appears there was some method to Kerr’s madness when you consider the Warriors walked off the court with a 46-point victory.
Kerr explained his reasoning after the game and said that he decided to give the players a chance to coach each other in order to remind themselves they’re the ones who are in control of their own destiny.
Steve Kerr on why he let his players coach tonight’s game against Phoenix. pic.twitter.com/TpEyvl9DoY
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 13, 2018
After the game, Suns forward Jared Dudley admitted he wasn’t a huge fan of the move, but acknowledged that it also gave his team a bit of a reality check when it comes to controlling their fate.
Jared Dudley to ESPN on Steve Kerr allowing his players to coach. “It shows a lack of respect for an opponent, and maybe right now, we don’t deserve respect. When you keep getting beat by 40, teams won’t respect you. But it’s up to us to change that.”
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 13, 2018
At least Kerr didn’t decide to pull out a Rubik’s Cube in the middle of the huddle.