Golden State Warriors: Will Mark Jackson Have His Job at This Point Next Year?

Beneath the many colorful catchphrases Warriors coach Mark Jackson coined during his tenure as an NBA color commentator on ESPN, lay sound basketball principles.

Jackson stressed the importance of discipline, hard work and accountability.

Thanks to an ill-fated Warriors trade inherited from a past Warriors regime, Jackson was forced to sacrifice the majority of his rookie coaching campaign for the betterment of the franchise.

But even during the tumultuous times experienced during a franchise's tanking to improve draft position (or, in this case, to salvage a draft pick), Jackson displayed those same characteristics that the real-life preacher (at True Love Worship Center International) had stressed during his broadcasting days.

Despite ending the season at 23-43, his Warriors showed several areas of improvement throughout the season.

While Jackson was aided by the tanking movement, he managed to find meaningful minutes for all three Warriors draft picks from last season (Klay Thompson, Charles Jenkins and Jeremy Tyler). The trio all averaged better than 13 minutes per night, and could all play important roles for the playoff-hopefuls.

He also practiced what he preached regarding accountability of his players. Offensive-minded players (notably Stephen Curry and Dorell Wright) found their way to Jackson's bench when they did not play both ends of the floor.

And although 14 different Warriors started a game last season, Jackson managed to identify player roles and put his players in areas to succeed.

Brandon Rush was a forgettable trade acquisition days before the season began, but found his niche as a two-way contributor and three-point threat. Dominic McGuire impressed with his defensive tenacity but displayed his diversity and high basketball IQ when Jackson moved him into a point forward role. Even journeyman Nate Robinson found a rebirth in Jackson's offense, providing not only the instant offense he's known for, but also a new-found care of the basketball (4.5-to-1.47 assists-to-turnovers ratio).

Jackson's first full offseason as the Warriors coach got off to a rocky start with an affair-turned-extortion scandal surrounding the pastor/coach.

But if he makes it through these rough times, he'll not only enjoy the chance to fully implement his system over the coming months, but he'll also be working with an improving Warriors roster.

He has stressed accountability as a player, as a broadcaster and now as the Warriors coach. With a "playoffs or bust" mentality around the organization, Jackson now has a chance to practice what he preaches.