MEMPHIS — The man who left one of the biggest imprints on the Warriors’ Game 1 win over the Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon is a first-year player-development coach who didn’t play a minute of college basketball.
While helping put together Golden State’s scouting report of Memphis, Jacob Rubin earmarked an inbounds play the Grizzlies like to use in late-game situations. With 3.6 seconds left in Game 1 and Golden State nursing a one-point lead, he cued up the sequence on his iPad, played it during the Warriors’ team huddle and told guard Klay Thompson, “Be prepared to cut off (Ja) Morant on the drive.”
Just as Rubin had predicted, Morant caught a pass from Brandon Clarke near the top of the arc and, with Golden State guard Gary Payton II losing track of him, darted into the left lane. Remembering Rubin’s directive, Thompson cut off Morant at the top of the key and forced him into an off-kilter scoop layup.
The ensuing miss gave the Warriors a 1-0 series lead and enabled Golden State to overcome Thompson’s two missed free-throw tries moments earlier. Asked about that late stop during his postgame news conference, Thompson said, “Give credit to Jacob Rubin. He’s the one that told me that out-of-bounds play was coming.”
This was probably the first time Warriors fans, even the diehards, had heard Rubin’s name. But after seven years climbing the organization’s ranks, he is well-known to Golden State’s top decision-makers. Rubin’s analytical knowledge, work ethic and rapport with players make him an essential behind-the-scenes individual — the type of staffer whose value dwarfs his modest salary.
Jacob Rubin, Warriors players development coach, watches players with Dejan Milojevic, right, during an off day practice before the Golden State Warriors played the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 2 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Fedex Forum in Memphis, Tenn., on Monday, May 2, 2022.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The ChronicleSince getting promoted last summer from the Warriors’ video room, he has helped scout opponents, work out players and lead video sessions. Colleagues pinpoint his work as a driving force behind Kevon Looney’s resurgent season. When head coach Steve Kerr wants more insight into how an opponent might approach certain situations, he often talks to Rubin.
So when Rubin pulled out his iPad during that late timeout Sunday, everyone from Kerr to Thompson to Stephen Curry listened. They knew that Rubin would offer his thoughts during such a critical moment only if he was 100% confident in what he was saying.
“Jacob brings a lot to this team,” said forward Draymond Green, who began training with Rubin this season. “He’s one of those guys who brings something daily just with his attitude and his mentality. He backs down from no one in any situation.
“He approaches things with conviction. When you have someone who approaches things with conviction, you believe in them.”
Kerr has fostered a collaborative work environment in which employees of any rank are encouraged to provide input. The most famous example of that came with the Warriors down 2-1 to the Cavaliers in the 2015 NBA Finals, when Nick U’Ren — then special assistant to the head coach — advised Kerr to replace Andrew Bogut in the starting lineup with Andre Iguodala.
With Iguodala making life difficult on LeBron James and ratcheting up the tempo, Golden State won three straight to take the championship in six games. Though Rubin’s contribution Sunday might not belong beside U’Ren’s suggestion in NBA history books, it helped the Warriors hold off the Grizzlies after Green was ejected in the second quarter.
It also allowed Thompson to give a relatively anonymous staffer a public shout-out, a perhaps overdue recognition for someone who has gone from entry-level G League employee to coach for an NBA club. Rubin’s resume includes stints as the Santa Cruz Warriors’ basketball operations coordinator (2015-16), and Golden State’s video intern (2017-19) and assistant video coordinator (2019-20).
In each stop, he has made his co-workers believe in his potential — not just to help behind the scenes, but to someday become an NBA executive or head coach.
“He’s always been a great character and a value to what we do, from the time he was in the film room to now,” Curry said. “When he has an opportunity to influence a timeout conversation or a read, you really see where he brings his value.”
Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Con_Chron
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