It’s hard to picture the Golden State Warriors without their Splash Brothers—Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Over the past decade, they’ve built a dynasty, clinching four championships (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022) under Steve Kerr. But, there’s a figure who seems to have been forgotten in the story of their rise: Mark Jackson. While some say his rigid strategies held the Warriors back, others, like Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, argue Jackson laid the foundation for the Splash Brothers we know today.

Speaking on the Come And Talk 2 Me podcast, the Detroit Pistons legend didn’t mince his words about Mark Jackson’s contribution. “Everybody gets credit for Steph and Klay. But I said this before also, if Mark Jackson doesn’t let Steph shoot from the hashmark, don’t let Klay take bad shots, and don’t pump them up and say these are the greatest shooters ever There will be no Steph. There will be no Klay,” Thomas said. “Mark Jackson was the first one who accepted, keyword accepted, guys shooting from that distance.”

Interestingly, Thomas took it further, describing how Jackson defied conventions to let Curry and Thompson thrive. “Back in the day, you would get taken out of the game. You would get shot from the hashmark and miss,” he said, explaining how Jackson trusted them. “No other coach at that time would have done that.”

Back when Jackson took charge in 2011, the Warriors were far from contenders. Coming off a dismal 23-43 record in a lockout-shortened season, the team had little going for it. But Jackson put his faith in a young Stephen Curry, encouraging him to keep shooting despite the mistakes. By 2013-14, his efforts started to pay off. The Warriors finished with an impressive 51-31 record and made a respectable playoff run, reaching the Western Conference Semifinals—a giant leap from where they’d been.

Under Jackson’s watch, Curry became an All-Star, showcasing how effective the three-pointer could be as a primary weapon. While the Warriors’ management shifted gears by hiring Steve Kerr to take them to the next level, Thomas credits Jackson for not only changing the Golden State but the sport of basketball itself.

For Thomas, Jackson is a “game changer”

Last year on the All the Smoke podcast, Isiah Thomas expressed, that Jackson is the man who not only set the stage for Golden State’s championship dynasty but also helped evolve the game itself. “The guy who doesn’t get credit for changing the game, and this so-called evolution of the game, his name would be Coach Mark Jackson,” Thomas said.

Thomas elaborated further, adding a key question that underscored Jackson’s significance. “Now let me tell you why Mark Jackson changed the game?” he said, before giving his answer. “Mark Jackson saw a guy by the name of Steph Curry, and a guy by the name of Klay Thompson, and Mark Jackson as a coach made it acceptable, he made it acceptable, for Steph Curry and Klay to shoot from that range.”

Though Steve Kerr often receives credit for maximizing Curry’s potential, Jackson built the framework that made that success possible. His emphasis on those long-range shots wasn’t just a gamble—it was revolutionary. “People always shot from that range. They just didn’t do it as part of their offensive schemes. Mark Jackson solely accepted Steph and Klay shooting from that distance and range,” Thomas pointed out. Without that foundation, Kerr’s system wouldn’t be what it is today.