Nick Kerr on Taran Armstrong: NBA pace “suits him better… more space to play with”

[video/transcript/workout/bts]

My pick for the Warrior who will jump off the page this Summer League is Taran Armstrong, although my Florida alum superfan and sometimes-co-host on the live chats, Bruce Maro, would likely pick his guy Will Richard.

I’ve been spending time in Santa Cruz this year for personal reasons, so a couple times, I dropped by Kaiser Permanente Arena to do pregame with Coach Nicholas Kerr.

The most recent visit was the night after he made this incredibly creative between-the-legs pass from under the hoop to Javon Johnson for a three in the corner:

Good thing Johnson made that, otherwise this highlight might not even be on the Interwebs!

In fact, I didn’t even know that play happened except that it came up in conversation with Kevin Danna, the voice you hear on that highlight, who was there for Kerr’s pregame in Santa Cruz the next night with me, as he always is.

The former G League head coach, who will now join his dad Steve Kerr’s staff up in Golden State, Nick felt Armstrong’s game was a better fit than Australia’s slower-paced and less athletic NBL:

He's integrated to our group really seamlessly. Our league is so much faster than Australia and I think it suits him better. He's really good in transition. He's good with more space to play with. He makes all of the ball screen reads pretty easily, so he's been great for us.

Here’s some workout footage:

And at a recent Summer League Media Day podium visit, Taran said he gained 17 pounds:

I've been here the whole time, pretty much working out, on-court, off-court. Yeah, I've definitely added muscle. I think I'm up maybe like 17 pounds

Dalton Johnson of NBCSBA tweeted it as “17 pounds of muscle.” Like, I don’t mean to nitpick and what do I know about anatomy and nutrition — btw kudos to Johnson for asking the question that resulted in the new information, to which Dalton can literally be heard saying, “Okay, wow,” after Armstrong said that — but 17 lbs. of combined muscle and/or fat and/or otherwise human tissue is probably close enough to pure muscle. I know “17 pounds of muscle” does sound a bit far-fetched to anyone you ask on the street while looking at a pic of Taran in a SCW uniform. Maybe five to nine pounds is more easily acceptable? I get that.

Anyways, he was listed previously (on NBA.com) as 6’5” and 190 lbs., so now he’s probably at 207 lbs. right now. From an eye test perspective in that you’d consider Armstrong “skinny” if you saw him that night in Santa Cruz, that’s tremendous news. That’s more an NBA body than the 190-lb. version, for sure.

Below the paywall are the full transcripts from Nick and Taran. The Armstrong Q&A also includes interviews with Jaden Shackelford, who is already a three-year vet of Summer Leagues and looks to take a leadership role on this fourth iteration with GSW, and Lainn Wilson, who was named to replace Nick as the SCW head coach this year. I’ll unlock them once I post the next article.

Be sure to join us on the livestream in an hour from this post for the first game of the California Classic which will overlap into another livechat Watch Party of the Valkyries…

00:00 The one thing I forgot to ask from the South Bay game, we didn't get a look at the replay. Did Braxton get fouled there on the Tyler's block play, or — ?

00:12 NICHOLAS KERR, PREGAME 3/29/2025: Maybe, but I didn't think they'd call it.

00:16 Okay, gotcha. What — how close a tab are you guys kind of keeping on that RGV game there?

00:24 I have it on right now.

00:25 Oh, okay.

00:26 Yeah, I think it matters. It all impacts our strategy tonight, for sure.

00:30 Yeah, I mean, how does the message change if like RGV wins that game?

00:39 I don't even know that I'll say anything, but I will definitely make sure everyone plays if that happens.

00:43 Okay, got it. So rotations would just go to the background?

00:48 Yeah. Five, six, who cares? Yeah, but if we have a chance to get a home game, we're gonna go full steam.

00:54 Gotcha.

00:56 Yeah, I'm gonna be asking my usual Golden State Warriors tangential arms-length questions. But, first off, with Taran Armstrong, the fans love his flair and all of that, of course, and I was listening to a radio bit by Kirk Lacob. He was talking about player development, David Fatoki, kind of like, he even mentioned key performance indicators and talking about how they're looking for certain player development KPIs. Would you happen to know what those might be for Taran and anything on the player development side and how has he been playing lately, by the way?

01:34 I'll answer that one first. Yeah, because I have more education on that. He's been great. He's integrated to our group really seamlessly. Our league is so much faster than Australia and I think it suits him better. He's really good in transition. He's good with more space to play with. He makes all of the ball screen reads pretty easily, so he's been great for us. In terms of the KPIs, I think they have — there's like core tenets for every person that we bring into the program. I haven't been told anything specific on Taran. Just go see how he is.

02:06 One of the hot buttons along those lines of player development is Quinten Post on the podium, literally last night, talking about how he was kind of surprised about the volume of threes he was asked to shoot here. I was wondering if you could take us back to maybe a funny story about that because he talks about it a little bit, but it'd be really cool to have a back story.

02:28 What did he say?

02:28 He was kind of like, "Well, at Boston College I didn't really have a lot of volume and then now they're telling me to shoot eight or nine," and he's kind of like surprised by that and, "Are you sure? I'm uncomfortable with that."

02:41 Yeah, he — we've had a few different conversations like that throughout his time here, but yeah, there was one in Valley or in Phoenix where I told him, "If you're gonna go up there, they're gonna want you to shoot 10 a game and he was still kind of — he doesn't say no, but he was still, like, “I don't want to just be this stretch 5. I still like being able to roll on ball screens and get to the pocket and do all that stuff which I was good with.” He knows he needs to be a complete player. Obviously, it's great that he's shooting threes and he's provided such a unique dimension for them offensively, but that's not the only thing that makes him good. And he's — what I like about him is he knows who he is and he knows what he's good at and he'll still roll. He's not gonna just pop every single time because he's thinking he's a shooter. He rolls when the coverage says the roll and he'll catch the ball in the pocket and he'll make the right pass. So he does a good job. He's a smart basketball player.

03:36 There's been talk about his defense probably being more of the concern, if anything, but what can he do, now that he's up there, better? Now, like last night, might be dropping on pick-and-roll on defense.

03:52 We were playing, I didn't watch, I didn't watch their game last night, so I don't know.

03:55 Yeah. Well, there's athletic limitations in terms of foot speed and vert, so what are some things that you were telling him to improve on defense over here, then, as an example?

04:09 That, entirely. Early positioning. He's really good. He's always in the right spot. That's where it's — the NBA's just so hard. He's always in the right spot. It's that he's limited athletically and physically as to what he can actually do to impact guys at the rim, whereas other guys can be in the wrong spot and take one step and be in the right spot. Those guys always get drafted higher, but they don't always actually make the right plays. But when you have a guy that can do both, that's why Draymond's so special. Draymond's always in the right spot and he takes one step and is there and impacts you. When you have a guy like that, that's the goal, but Quinten still has to get there.

04:46 I forgot to ask about — back to the threes. So he's now, Quinten's now averaging nine threes per 36. And I looked it up, Klay was at 10.

04:59 Nice.

05:00 So, I mean, is that a surprise to you?

05:02 That's Klay throughout his career. I mean, the game's changed dramatically in the last five, six years. Yeah, but no, that maybe — so I guess, no, it's not that big a surprise. I think 2015 we led the league in threes and we took 31 a game and if you take 31 a game, now you're last. This is — it's the progression of the league, progression of basketball.

05:21 Another question on progression of the league is, Gary Payton just went down with an injury. He's Golden State's best point-of-attack defender. Is it harder to play point-of-attack now in the modern NBA, would you think?

05:36 Yes, for sure. It's way more space for offensive players to play with and less contact allowed, so it is so much harder to guard and the talent is at an all-time high. Like every industry, you just — things get better over time and basketball is no different. So yeah, I think this is the hardest that's ever been to guard anybody, but especially like the top players in the league

06:02 Following up on that, depending on Gary's availability, but if he's still not available by the time Santa Cruz season wraps up, do you think there might be some time for Braxton?

06:14 Maybe.

06:15 For the rest of the regular season?

06:17 Yeah, we'll see. I'm not, I mean, I don't know. I haven't talked to anyone about any of this stuff, but I would love to see him get a chance out there. He's a monster defensively. Yeah, it's too bad I'm not allowed to vote. We have to do our voting stuff for awards and I'm not allowed to vote him Defensive Player of the Year. I'm like, "I only had him 10 of the 50 games." It was like —

06:38 You did play against him.

06:39 We played him four times. He's a monster, so I'd imagine Paul (Hewitt), he would've voted for him defensively. Maybe I should just ask Paul, "Hey, make sure you vote your guy," because I would've. He's incredible.

06:50 How has your perception changed or stayed the same from playing against Braxton to coaching Braxton?

06:57 He's more dynamic offensively than I thought he was. He's such a better passer. He has really — he has such force going to the rim, so I knew what he was capable of defensively. Was not — didn't know he was as talented on offense and just his ability to read the game, to flow, to play kind of the style that we've changed to because of him. We're even more random than we used to be.

07:22 I wanna stay on Braxton actually for those that don't get to see him every day and G League highlights aren't gonna show defensive highlights that much. What makes him incredible?

07:33 His instincts. He must get 10 deflections a game. He can play the cat-and-mouse in pick-and-roll great. He can guard one-on-one. He's a great help side defender, so if you name a concept defensively, he's either good or great at it.

07:47 Are we able to like connect the dots between Beekman, then you lose Beekman, and then getting Braxton? Is there kind of a need for that kind of defender?

08:00 I mean, it's different. Reese was 6'1", 6'2" and Braxton's 6'8". Yeah, we definitely prioritize defense. It wasn't just that with Reese though. Reese is a good player. Brooklyn wanted him in the trade, so we traded him, but it's not like we wanted to trade him. And then, yeah, Brax, just he was a March 1st two-way, and it was basically, like, who's the best player to help us win? So our front office did a good job identifying him.

08:29 One last one is, how about just getting to know Taran from afar? How's his defense?

08:36 Way better. I mean, this is stereotyping, but he's good defensively. He can stay in front of the ball. He's got toughness, he'll take contact and not back down and he boxes out and takes charges, so that's been a pleasant surprise for me. I thought, especially just the change in league and where he played in college, I thought he would struggle with the speed and athleticism and space and he's been one of our better defenders.

09:00 I actually got one more because I was talking to KD (Kevin Danna).

09:04 Last one.

09:04 Taran did a between-the-legs up from the baseline to the corner pass. And once that starts to get out to the general fan,

09:15 Is that the one that went out of bounds? Oh, last night. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was a good pass.

09:20 They're gonna wanna know when can we pair him with Steph on the same court, type of deal. Well, what's your reaction to something like that?

09:29 I don't have one. Just coaching our team. We got the playoffs to worry about, so.

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00:00 Hey Taran, first just wanna ask you, what can you tell us a little bit about Alex Toohey's game and just what you thought about the Warriors drafting him?

00:07 TARAN ARMSTRONG, SUMMER LEAGUE MEDIA DAY 6/30/2025: Yeah, I think he's definitely a great fit, definitely a a Warriors type of guy, being able to be here for the last four or five months, whatever it's been. I was at the NBA Academy Center of Excellence with Alex for a little bit, but his game is definitely built around versatility, being able to do a little bit of everything. Defensively, he's long, really good switchability, yeah, and can really do a little bit of everything, so versatility is definitely a good way to put it.

00:42 Did you reach out to him after the Draft and did he have any advice about the Warriors, anything like that?

00:47 I sent him a message, but it was just, "Excited, can't wait to get to work and see you soon." That was pretty much it.

00:56 Taran, Joseph Dycus with the Mercury News. How are you feeling going into your second year now, playing in Summer League and do you feel more ready or more prepared for the moment?

01:06 Yeah, I feel good. Obviously, I mean, I still haven't really been here that long and this will be my first Summer League as well, so I'm excited for the whole experience, everything that comes with it. I'm excited just to play basketball. I've been here just working out, doing the same thing every day and I'm ready to play.

01:25 What are you hoping to show?

01:29 Good question. Specifically, I mean, just be who I am as a player. I think as a point guard I can make the game easier for a lot of guys and I think I'll have a lot of responsibility around that. And I'm excited just to do that and be aggressive, make plays.

01:49 Obviously we saw you with the team throughout the playoff run, but what has your off-season been? Have you just been here specifically? has there been a singular focus, whether it's adding muscle, something adding to your game? What has the off-season been like for you so far?

02:03 Yeah, I've been here the whole time, pretty much working out, on-court, off-court. Yeah, I've definitely added muscle. I think I'm up maybe like 17 pounds, so yeah, def —

02:16 Is that since you first arrived here?

02:17 Yep.

02:17 Okay, wow.

02:18 Yeah, so definitely being in the weight room a lot, feel good. I can feel a difference in that sense, absolutely. And then on-court, just a lot of shooting, sort of refining a couple things. I definitely think speeding up my shot and being more shot-ready is something I've been working on, but overall I feel like I'm definitely a much better player than when I first got here.

02:38 Awesome.

02:44 Monte (Poole), do you have any questions?

02:48 No, I think I'm good. Thank you.

02:52 That it? Nothing else. Cool. Alright, you are off.

02:55 Thanks.

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02:56 How was the first day with all the guys today at practice?

02:58 JADEN SHACKELFORD, PRACTICE, 7/1/2025, 4 DAYS BEFORE LAL-GSW: Good. Really, really good. High intensity, felt like everybody got after it, coaches and everybody trying to get kind of what they want in a game plan set in stone and kind of jammed it in here first day, so it felt good to get everybody out there and just kind of get our whole offense and defensive schemes going.

03:15 How much is that to take in on one day?

03:19 Not too much. I think they do a great job of kind of teaching before we actually get into the mix of everything, so they make it really easy for us to just go out there and hoop and got a lot of smart guys on the team. So it's been flowing really well.

03:30 How many of those guys on the team did going into it?

03:35 A good amount. A good amount of guys just seeing from being in the G or high school, but just a bunch of different guys that I've seen or seen in college when I was in the G, so familiar faces and it's good kind of just be around guys who love the game and stuff. So it's been fun.

03:48 You mentioned being in the G, having been in OKC, the Valley and now here. What's the mindset going into Summer League, being that this is not necessarily new to you, right? But you want to, of course, take your game to the next level to hopefully move up.

04:00 Yeah. I mean, it's — I'm just coming in, trying to be a leader, trying to help guys. I know it's not everybody's fourth go-round at Summer League like mine, so coming in with a mindset, which obviously me trying to get to where I want to go, but also helping guys who, first-year, second-year, whatever, so kinda just pride of myself and being a leader and a vet in a sense, while also trying to chase my own stuff, in a sense. But I feel like everybody's been here and it's been really, really easy with this, with the Warrior staff and I've been other places, OKC and Valley, like you said, but the coaches here and the staff here have made it really, really easy for me to just step in and lead and all kinds of different stuff.

04:39 And to kind of follow up on that, you mentioned being a veteran and being a leader, but also chasing your own stuff. What are you personally trying to focus on as far as, "I wanna put this on display to show coaches that I've grown in my game this much."

04:53 Yeah. I mean, I feel like I could pinpoint a bunch of things, but I feel like that's me just being critical of my own game, but I feel like for me, it's just going out there and being a competitor for 48 minutes and being able to plug and play for anybody, at any time. So that's just me, but also showing that I'm selfless. I feel like that's the biggest part of my game and just making everybody around me better, so just trying to show that and lead.

05:16 Given your experience with Summer League, what would you tell some of the guys if they asked you for advice about what to expect in the next few weeks?

05:21 Have fun. You're not gonna play 30, 40 minutes a game, but you gotta go out there and make the best of your time, so just stay ready, stay focused, and have fun. A lot of people give up everything to be where we're at, so just be best and be where our feet are.

05:36 How excited are you to be a part of the California Classic and being — be the intro into the Summer League, starting here this weekend.

05:43 Very excited. Very excited. I haven't played any yet, but I've always seen it from afar, so I'm super-excited and I'm from California, so it's gonna be really fun to have people here, too.

05:53 Alright, thank you.

05:54 Thank you guys.

05:54 Thank you. Appreciate it.

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05:57 We just spoke with Jaden. He said that this time around, fourth summer league, he's trying to focus on being a veteran leader on this team. Can you just speak to his presence so far that you've seen him on this Summer League team?

06:08 COACH LAINN WILSON, PRACTICE, 7/1/2025, 4 DAYS BEFORE LAL-GSW: Yeah, I think it's just he basically knows how to conduct himself every day and his habits on the court are also really good. And so I see him from time to time explaining concepts that we're trying to get implemented just because he's seen them more, especially for some of our new guys and so that influence that he's had so far has been really good.

06:24 Just out of curiosity, how much of a edge does that give you to kind of perform better to possibly be noticed by coaches when you're working towards that goal during the Summer League?

06:33 Like for him?

06:34 For him.

06:35 Yeah, it's just obviously for guys like that, like if you're — obviously, if you're a good individual player, that's great, but if you have an ability to like impact others and kind of help them out and put the team in a good groove and help other guys get better while elevating your own game, like, that just goes hand-in-hand and can make you a pretty valuable role player.

06:53 What did you hope to accomplish today with the first day of practice?

06:57 For a lot of these guys, just getting used to the pace of everything. We got a decent amount of concepts that we wanted to get done, spacing-wise, but overall it's just our guys being able to play really fast, get up and down the floor, make reads on the fly, so that we can really push the tempo.

07:11 For you personally, what was this first practice, running it, like?

07:15 It felt different, just because you're in charge of everything. It's always different being an assistant and you're just responsible for an individual drill, so just kind of overseeing everything, how the whole operation runs and then pulling players to the side, talking to coaches and coaching them up is kind of a different dynamic. So it's just getting used to that.

07:32 Being in this new role, obviously, this is not new to you, but the new role you have, what's something that I guess maybe surprised you going in as the head coach now this season?

07:43 So far, it's just all the logistics around it. Honestly, when we get to the court, that's my comfort zone because that's what I'm used to, but it's doing stuff like this, having a bunch of different meetings, just figuring out practice plans, scheduling and all that.

07:57 Has AV (Anthony Vereen) given you any tips?

07:59 No, shockingly enough. AV has not talked to me much. No, I'm just kidding. He's been great. We've, sat down and talked a bunch just because I worked closely with him last Summer League, so he's been great resource to rely on.

08:11 Big shoes to fill.

08:14 Yes.

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