A week ago Sunday, in the wake of perhaps the worst game he has ever played, Warriors rookie Patrick McCaw called his father, Jeff. A longtime high school coach in the St. Louis area, Jeff McCaw offered his critiques before putting things in perspective. [...] daily conversations have helped McCaw navigate a chaotic year in which he has gone from second-round draft pick to fill-in starter for the NBA's best team. [...] as he tries to capitalize on increased playing time with Kevin Durant injured, the spindly 21-year-old makes a point to relish how far he has come. In 2014, when McCaw enrolled at UNLV, he was the least heralded recruit in a five-man freshman class ranked No. 4 nationally. To emerge as a potential draft-night steal with Golden State, he has impressed coaches with his grasp of basketball's nuances. McCaw, a 6-foot-7 combo guard who is playing small forward with Durant out, limits turnovers, cuts toward the rim at appropriate times and finds open teammates along the perimeter. At age 5, Patrick was tagging along to practices with Jeff, then an assistant coach at McCluer South-Berkeley High School in Ferguson, Mo. During those after-school sessions working on...