One thing that hoop fans will remember about this era of NBA basketball is the proliferation of the three-point shot. Once considered a novelty when it was introduced to the league in 1979 and even an afterthought in the 1980s, '90s and the 2000s, the three-ball has been weaponized to the nth degree, thanks in large part to Stephen Curry , who wielded it like a magic wand and turned the Golden State Warriors into the global powerhouse that it is today.
The Warriors' sharpshooter's impact on the game has been so profound that even his own coach, Steve Kerr , had to reevaluate his beliefs about what makes a good shot when he took over as the team's head coach during the 2014-15 season.
Kerr wasn't just any other who transitioned to becoming an NBA head coach. After all, he played 15 seasons in the big league and won five championships as a member of the Chicago Bulls and the San Antonio Spurs .
He also brought with him extensive knowledge and experience after playing with the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Tim Duncan , and being coached by Lute Olson in college and Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich in the NBA.
But even with all that experience, Kerr found himself adjusting his coaching style to fit Curry's unique abilities. As he watched Curry effortlessly take and make shots from beyond the arc, sometimes even from near half-court, Kerr realized that traditional notions of shot selection needed to be reevaluated. He shared the precise moment when this realization hit him.
"Midway through my first season coaching him," Kerr narrated . "There's actually a clip — it's probably right when it happened. It's a famous clip where he dribbles around his back, through his legs, around four different guys on the Clippers with the light blue short-sleeve jerseys on. And he shoots like a fadeaway 26-footer, and they show me on the sidelines — I'm holding my head."
Kerr said his first season coaching Curry was a real eye-opener. It taught him that what was often considered a bad shot for most players was actually a good shot for Curry. This realization forced Kerr to trust in Curry's judgment and, most importantly, his abilities.
"I don't know if it was that moment, but there definitely was a moment that season, my first year coaching him, where everything I'd ever been taught by all of my coaches — pretty much all of whom were in the Hall of Fame, by the way — everything I was ever taught was, you know, these are terrible shots. You can't shoot that. You can always get a better shot later," Kerr continued.
"And then about halfway through my first year coaching Steph, I realized that's part of his power. And you just let him rip. And he's going to take some bad ones, but in the end he's going to shoot over 40%," he added. "And there's something about his swashbuckling approach that is really powerful for that team."
Curry has not only redefined his coach's perception of shot selection, but also the league's. His prolific three-point shooting has revolutionized the game to the point that NBA teams are shooting threes more than twos, recognizing the efficiency of Curry's most potent weapon.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
