Steve Kerr has implored the NBA to move forward with the game. All year, he’s asked for the league to shorten the regular season to contain injuries. But his latest admission has garnered mixed reactions. In an interview with The New Yorker, Kerr chose to abolish the three-point line rather than evolve with the increasing shooting talent entering the league every year.

“The analytics revolution has created a weird situation where we all know exactly where the highest efficiency shots are: layups and corner threes because the corner three is twenty-two feet and not 23.9, like the up above the break,” Kerr argued. The shock was that this is the same coach who arguably utilised the three-pointers to their extreme and won four titles.

Anyone who went against it was even discarded. How many times did Kerr criticise Jonathan Kuminga for taking a contested mid-range shot over passing the ball for an open three? The perimeter has become vital to today’s game, with positional basketball slowly dying. But Phil Jackson, who coached Michael Jordan and Kerr, does see something within his suggestion to improve the quality of basketball.

“15 years I’ve been asking the NBA rules committee to widen the court apron. Corner shot becomes 23.9,” the legendary coach wrote on X.

Right now, the corner three being at a closer distance has contributed largely to the influx of three-point shooting. You are seeing Andre Drummond, a rough and tough center, consistently make shots from the corner. Jackson’s suggestion brings a level playing field in the land of shooters. If you want to get three, the distance has to remain uniform. There’s genuinely no loophole in his fix.

The way the game is going, a few feet isn’t going to deter shooters from taking their shots. But it eliminates the power of analytics, which sides with a smarter three-pointer that’s available closer to the basket. Would it bring back the mid-range? Probably not, but the slow-paced playoffs underscore their importance every season.

Jackson’s tweaks place equal risk in taking a corner three than any other part of the court. That equality will blow up analytics, possibly creating a more instinctive game that Kerr desires. It’s a change that seems practical rather than outlandish. Why shouldn’t every three-point shot have the same degree of difficulty?

But Kerr hasn’t taken it up with the NBA as he has publicly in the case of the length of the regular season. There’s just one reason.

Steve Kerr wants to achieve more with Stephen Curry

Kerr isn’t oblivious to the current benefits of the corner three. He was very transparent in wanting to keep that thought to himself for now. “I coach Steph Curry, so I’d rather wait till Steph’s retired,” he said. Taking away the triple means sacrificing the Warriors’ greatest asset. Steve Kerr wouldn’t want to do that, especially since he knows the human behind the mastery of shooting has worked tirelessly to reach his current levels.

And in doing so, he answered the most pressing question. Kerr still believes he can do more things with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green as his contract negotiations take center stage.

“I don’t want to abandon those guys. If Steph and Draymond were retiring this year, I think this would be an easy decision: we all go out together and the organization takes their new path. But it’s not that easy because I think Steph’s going to play another couple of years and I think we can still do some good things together,” said Steve Kerr.

Currently, Kerr is in no rush. He’s still prolonging the conversation about possibly renewing his contract until two weeks from today. However, the belief that there’s more to achieve stems from Curry’s influence. AKA, his ability to shoot from anywhere on the floor at any time in the game.

There’s still a game without the three-point line. But the Warriors dynasty is built around the talents of a superstar who benefits from a reward for distance shooting. And with the trend of three-point shooting only growing, the NBA won’t just snatch it away. The game needs minor tweaks, rather than going back to an outdated format. Phil Jackson’s request for 15 years brings parity. It places equal probability for a three-pointer from all spots, which would naturally affect certain players who limit their attempts to the corner.

Do you still see a benefit in Kerr’s suggestion? Let us know your views in the comments below.