Why Steve Kerr’s departure is the worst thing that could've happened to Team USA

Steve Kerr led the United States men's basketball team to the top of the mountain in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but he has decided to step down as the head coach of the program.

Kerr’s handling of the rotation and the team have been in the spotlight for much of the summer, but we’ll outline why his departure is a crushing blow for the development of Team USA.

We’ll get more into the hot-button issues Kerr had to deal with during the 2024 Olympics, but it never seemed like he was going to be long for the position, anyway.

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Kerr told the New York Times in November 2023, “To me, it’s a two-year commitment; it’s a cycle. Gregg Popovich coached a World Cup and the Olympics, now it’s my turn to pass the baton.”

Kerr continued, “I think that’s kind of how it should be. Frankly, it’s a huge commitment too…I think where we are now, one cycle and you move on.”

While Kerr and a lot of other American coaches view international basketball gigs as temporary positions, other coaches across the world are more committed to leading their teams for several competitions. Kerr is not alone in his thinking, but his departure will underscore the transient nature of the job, while other countries stick to a voice and an overarching plan.

According to EuroHoops, Vincent Collet served as the French national team’s head coach for 15 years. Svetislav Pesic has been associated with the Serbian national team for the better part of 20 years, according to BasketNews. The continuity has allowed these countries to give more talented United States rosters all that they can handle.

After winning the gold medal, Steve Kerr told NBC, “we might be the only team in the world whose fans are ashamed of them if they get a silver medal.” It speaks to the sky-high expectations basketball fans in the United States have. There are few coaches who are better equipped to deal with that amount of pressure than Kerr.

Kerr has been a part of some of the most storied teams in the NBA history as a coach or a player. He won three championships as a member of the 1990s Chicago Bulls, who were expected to dominate every time they ran on to the floor. He’s overseen four championship winning teams with the Golden State Warriors as head coach.

Throughout the Olympics, Kerr had to deal with the emerging story that he was outright benching Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who is one of the most decorated players on the roster.

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Kerr’s own veteran mainstay with the Warriors, Draymond Green, criticized him for the way he was deploying Tatum, or lack thereof. According to Heavy’s website, Green said on his podcast, “You don’t not play Jayson Tatum. That man just won an NBA championship. He’s on the cover of NBA 2K, cover of Sports Illustrated. He just signed the biggest contract in NBA history.”

Kerr also used Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid in different ways throughout the Olympics, with regard to playing time or playing him at all.

However, the goal at the end of the tournament was to come away with the gold medal, and Steve Kerr did just that. It’s possible that his lineup decisions could have caused Tatum or Embiid to lash out and fracture team chemistry. However, that’s not what happened, as Kerr got them to buy into the team concept.

It’s unclear how much, if any, prior Olympic coach strategies affected Kerr in his preparation for the 2024 Olympics. It turned out that he used a very similar methodology as 1992 Dream Team coach Chuck Daly. According to ESPN, Daly used six different starting lineups during that tournament, and only one player started every game (Michael Jordan).

In the face of continued questions about his tactics and rotations, Kerr put on a brave face and stuck to his beliefs. It’s easier said than done, given the profile of players on the roster.

Growth Cap Advisory’s website talks about Kerr’s mild-mannered and low-key approach to dealing with a team. Those qualities help keep even the most experienced players poised when things get tight. The United States had to overcome a large deficit to come back against Serbia, and Kerr’s temperament might have done wonders in that regard.

Is Steve Kerr’s departure from Team USA men’s basketball a good thing or a bad thing? Drop us a note in the comments section to let us know where you stand!

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