With over 1,000 games of head coaching experience, Terry Stotts has rejoined the Warriors as an assistant coach, having previously worked for the organization in the 2004-05 season.
“There’s a mutual admiration,” Stotts said on joining Head Coach Steve Kerr’s staff. “I’ve appreciated what Steve [Kerr] and the coaching staff have done with the team.”
Stotts got his first NBA assistant coaching job in 1992 with the Seattle SuperSonics. He has also served as the Head Coach for the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks and his longest coaching stint came with the Portland Trail Blazers. Stotts had tremendous success with the Trail Blazers, leading them to three 50-plus win seasons and advancing as far as the Western Conference Finals in 2019. He also was the runner-up for Coach of the Year to Coach Kerr in the 2015-16 season and has won eight Coach of the Month Awards.
Stotts’ Blazers faced the Warriors in two playoff series, losing 4-2 in the 2016 Western Conference Semifinals and getting swept in the 2019 Western Conference Finals. In both series, the common theme was offensive mastery from superstar guard Stephen Curry.
“I don’t think anyone has figured out what to do with him [defensively],” Stotts told 95.7 The Game. “He’s had so many special moments, he’s remarkable and I’m happy to be on his side.”
One of those moments came in Game Four of the 2016 Western Conference Semifinals. In Curry’s first game back from injury, he exploded for an NBA record 17 points in overtime, giving him 40 for the game in a Warriors win.
“We felt like we played them competitively, but they always found a way,” Stotts shared, reflecting on Curry’s signature moment.
A testament to this statement was the 2019 Western Conference Finals. The Trail Blazers led by 17 or more points in three of the four games, but the Warriors still completed the sweep. Curry finished the series with the most points in a sweep in NBA history (146).
Witnessing Curry’s greatness and the success of Kerr’s offense firsthand, Stotts wants to keep the formula very similar but also generate easier looks for his new superstar offensive weapon when he can.
“I don’t want to take away from what they’ve done so well; they’ve been such a good read and react team, moving without the ball,” Stotts said. “I want to free up Steph more if we can, not change too much but tweak some things.”
Stotts also believes the new offseason additions — Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson — will be incorporated naturally into the system. Stotts’ Trail Blazers teams were consistently amongst the best offenses in the league, finishing top-three in offensive rating five times. He has experience building a unit around a dynamic sharpshooting guard in Damian Lillard. Lillard operated far more with the ball in his hands in Portland, with an isolation and pick-and-roll attack. His co-star, CJ McCollum, had a very similar shot diet and much of Portland’s offensive success came from their explosive backcourt.
When assessing the landscape of the Western Conference and the Warriors’ roster heading into the 2024-25 season, Stotts is optimistic that the Dubs can remain very competitive.
“I think there’s still a window,” Stotts said. “46 wins used to be a guaranteed playoff spot, but the West is so tough. It’s also wide open and I think we’ll be in the mix.”
