Over the next few weeks, PJ Brown is taking a look at six former UA athletes and what they are doing now. Up today: Bruce Fraser, assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors and former UA men’s basketball player (1984-87).
The offseason is short for the Golden State Warriors. Playing until the end of June in the finals the last four years will do that.
However, Warriors’ assistant coach, Bruce Fraser will take three championships in four seasons, even if it means very little time off in the summer.
Fortunately, for him, he has an in with his boss, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who was his teammate on the Arizona men’s basketball team from 1984-87. Kerr gave him a few weeks of vacation before the summer league in Las Vegas started at the beginning of this month.
From there Fraser heads to Asia with Steph Curry in August, and then trains with Curry and Kevin Durant in Los Angeles and the Bay Area until training camp starts in September.
It’s a grind, but Fraser wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Winning three championships in four years is amazing.” Fraser said. “Aside from the talent, Steve is the primary reason. He built the culture and put in the strategy to make it all happen. For me, he gave me a chance.”
His chance in the NBA started as a scout for the Phoenix Suns when Kerr was part of the ownership group in 2004. After becoming the team’s GM, Kerr asked Fraser to be Steve Nash’s personal coach.
“I’ve got luck on my side,” said Fraser. “Lucky to be in Phoenix with Steve and friendly with Nash. I probably learned more than I taught him. We shared ideas.”
When Kerr landed at the Warriors, he brought Fraser along as his assistant coach and eventually asked him to work with Curry.
The point guard whisperer
Fraser is humble about the influence he’s had on players like Nash and Curry. He says he has been fortunate to work with them and calls it unbelievable. Others might call him the point guard whisperer … or a golf coach?
“My analogy is a golf coach. There are a lot of different golfers, different players, and some need more technique, others need more confidence or the mental side,” said Matt Muehlebach, a guard at Arizona from 1987-91. “What separates him is a lot of basketball people approach with technique. I think technique is secondary. I think he has a great feel for the mental side of it. Q (Fraser) would work the same way with a freshman in high school with potential as Steph Curry. It’s a simple approach, but also layered with his understanding of the person. This is key.”
Fraser thinks his job is “rebounding balls for the best shooters in the world.” And yes, he does that, but there is so much more.
Muehlebach saw his coaching up close when he played for UA. Fraser was a student assistant and then a graduate assistant in Muehlebach’s first two seasons. He came back to Tucson to help Muehlebach get through a shooting slump when he wasn’t on the payroll. That’s just the kind of guy Fraser, or Q, as they call him, is.
“He has a holistic approach to shooting and coaching,” said Muehlebach. “He doesn’t take things seriously and sees things simply. ‘What’s the magic behind his coaching?’ For him it’s not magic. He helps people in a simple way. He has a great ability to observe people. He finds out quickly what makes people tick, their moods, where they are coming from, etc. Because he understands it, he figures out the remedy. He understands people on a macro and micro level. One player needs a pat on the back; another he gets on them. He isn’t afraid to get after you.
“What he’s able to do, he also does it team-wide. He’s great at understanding the vibe, the mood of the team. Do they need a kick in the pants? Do they need a pat on the back? Do they need to go bowling one night? He has a great feel for it. He’s going to watch and pay attention. That ability is huge; a great skill. Combine that with a guy who doesn’t take himself seriously, he can easily do it with the best shooters and players in the world.”
What’s it like for Fraser to work with an elite player like Curry?
“Any time you work with someone of Steph’s caliber, it’s tricky,” said Fraser. “You have to earn their trust and NBA players, by nature, are not trusting. Steph was Steph-like from the start and receptive. Now we collaborate. I’ll add knowledge during a game. It’s his craft and I’m a subtle voice on the side. I am fortunate to be in this position.”
The Real MVP … Iguodala?
During the NBA Finals this season, the debate was who is more valuable to the team: Durant or Curry? For Fraser, each player brings something special and they are “two of the best players in the world and two of the best who ever played the game. “
“Steph brings electricity, speed, and amazing shooting,” said Fraser. “He has talent off the dribble and off the catch. He’s fearless and puts in place a culture of that free spirit and having fun. We don’t bridle that spirit. Sometimes it’s tough for Steve to let Steph be Steph.
“KD brings a versatile talent the league hasn’t seen. A 7-footer who can score from anywhere. He plays like a guard and might be the most talented in the game.”
While Fraser may not have settled that debate, he brought up another possibility — the most valuable Warrior may be another Arizona alum — Andre Iguodala.
“Generally, if you have a player from Arizona on your team, he knows how to play,” said Fraser. “Andre is a smart, offensive player. Even though he is aging, he is an amazing player. People don’t realize how valuable he is to us. He is brilliant defensively. He sees things as they are developing and anchors our defense. He’s a great passer; he makes the right reads and plays. He’s been incredibly valuable throughout our whole run.
“Houston was a tough series when we lost Andre. You could have argued that Andre was as equally valuable to us as Chris Paul was to Houston. We got him back at the right time.”
Speaking of tough, this postseason was definitely the Warriors’ hardest during their run.
“We saw some of the wear and tear of the NBA season. We’re great and ourselves, then at times we have trouble sustaining energy through all 48 minutes,” said Fraser. “The season is long especially going all the way to the finals.
“Year 1, most teams don’t win it and we made a run and won. The next year we fell short and that pain motivated us in the next year to win it. This year all that wear and tear of emotions was tough on us to play every night. Steve was brilliant and patient with them, especially with turnover-prone games. He knew when our team needed space and time. Sometimes it was hard to find motivation for middle of the week games against teams. But, we did see that championship spirit when the playoffs started.”
It all goes back to Olson
One of the secrets to the Warriors’ success is drafting the talent that fits their system. Fraser credits GM Bob Myers and his staff for drafting players like Draymond Green, Jordan Bell, Patrick McCaw, and Kevon Looney.
The other key piece is culture. While Kerr reshaped the culture, the players embody it. And, it all goes back to their time at Arizona — playing for coach Lute Olson.
“Lute was a big culture guy,” said Fraser. “Family was important and the extended basketball team was part of the family. It extended to the immediate fans and supporters of the team. Yes, we learned a lot from coach. There was a sign in the locker room ‘No one will play harder, more together, or more intelligent than us.’ The game should be played together and you can’t just say it, but not do it. Look back at our teams: We did it.
“We even run a drill in practice called the Lute Olson drill in honor of him. It’s a good, efficient drill. Before we do it, we say ‘what’s that drill we used to do at Arizona? Oh, yeah.’
“A lot of what we do for the Warriors is from Lute. Look at how the Warriors play together, with ball movement, read offense. Lute did all of that; the main themes. It’s a little more strategic in the NBA game. The college game and NBA game are different now and very different from when we played. But, playing as one, is tied to what we did then.
“Lute is a Hall of Fame coach. He did amazing things for basketball, the school, the city, the state. He’s a special coach; a special talent.”