https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/warriors/article/Warriors-assistant-Mahlalela-might-be-Kerr-s-17315137.php

LAS VEGAS — In many ways, it’s fitting the Golden State Warriors tapped Jama Mahlalela to sit in head coach Steve Kerr’s seat during NBA summer league this month in Las Vegas.

Mahlalela brings several Kerr-like qualities — his international roots, his ability to connect with players of diverse backgrounds, his engaging manner and quiet intensity. Second-year guard Moses Moody noticed the parallels, absolutely.

“He’s just genuine,” Moody said. “As a player, you can feel that — you can feel it when someone is being real and someone is trying to trick you. That’s the similarity between Jama and Coach Kerr.

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“They’re both the person they are, and that’s the way they coach. A certain level of respect comes with that.”

Mahlalela, 42, is rapidly rising in NBA coaching circles, to the point some league insiders consider him on track to become a head coach one day. One source said Mahlalela even could be “the next Steve Kerr.”

For now, he will join Kerr at the front of the bench. The Warriors are promoting Mahlalela and Kenny Atkinson next season, with Atkinson (a former Brooklyn Nets head coach) replacing Mike Brown as the lead assistant and Mahlalela becoming essentially the No. 2 assistant.

This marks a quick ascent since the Warriors hired Mahlalela in the summer of 2021 to become their director of player development. He excelled in the role this past season, working with Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II and rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moody.

Mahlalela will retain many of those duties as the Warriors seek to repeat as NBA champions. First, he was head coach of Golden State’s summer-league team in Las Vegas, a five-game stint that wrapped up Sunday.

The responsibility was familiar in some ways — Mahlalela, a longtime Toronto assistant, served as head coach of the Raptors’ G League affiliate from 2018 through ’20 — but in other ways, it represented an important step forward. Kerr and the Warriors’ front office clearly view Mahlalela as a vital part of their coaching staff.

He savored the chance to lead the team in Vegas, partly because it allowed him to work alongside younger coaches just getting their start in the league.

“For me to be able to help other coaches grow is tremendous,” Mahlalela said. “And I think to be a head coach and help mold players and advance their careers, that’s something I really value. Adding value to these players, whether they’re going to play in Japan next year or the NBA — if they can be better because of what we did in the summer, that means a lot to me.”

The Warriors entrusted Mahlalela with adding value last season by supervising the individual development of several players. He helped Wiggins blossom in the playoffs, Payton become an impactful rotation player and Kuminga and Moody flash signs of their potential.

Still, the summer-league assignment carried fresh cachet. Mahlalela was the one leading the coaching staff, making in-game decisions, setting the tone..

He understands the summer mostly means grooming young players for larger roles in the season ahead, but he also radiated intensity when the Warriors found themselves in close games in the fourth quarter.

“I really love coaching and being a head coach, because you can mold your players in a way that just doesn’t quite work from the assistant coach’s seat,” Mahlalela said. “You impact their playing time, how they’re feeling on any given day and hopefully you create a culture that energizes the players and leads to winning.”

Mahlalela acknowledged his global journey probably helps him connect with players of diverse backgrounds. He was born in Swaziland, a tiny country in southern Africa, and lived there, in neighboring Mozambique and in Toronto growing up (his mom is Canadian).

The African roots offered a common bond with Kuminga, who is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Kerr described Mahlalela as sort of the Warriors’ chief of staff last season, bridging the team’s parallel projects of winning now and building for the future. That won’t change much next season, even if Kuminga, Moody and center James Wiseman figure to play more prominent roles in Golden State’s rotation.

Mahlalela will be more visible, as he attempts to follow in the footsteps of other Warriors assistants who landed head-coaching jobs after working alongside Kerr — including Alvin Gentry, Luke Walton and, more recently, Brown (now Sacramento’s head coach). Charlotte also offered its top job to Atkinson, who turned it down last month to stay in San Francisco..

“Coach Kerr has a great track record of developing coaches. You can see that lived out over the last five or six years,” Mahlalela said. “He’s such a great educator. He’s patient and caring and allows you to make mistakes, but he also encourages you to grow as a coach.”

Moody hesitated to peer too far ahead, but he endorsed the possibility of Mahlalela ultimately sitting in the No. 1 seat for more than a summer.

“I think he could be a really good head coach,” Moody said. “I haven’t been in the game long enough to make knowledgeable predictions, but I think he has a bright future.”