The Detroit Pistons continue to reshape their coaching ranks with the addition of Andrew Jones III, according to multiple media reports.
Jones most recently spent two seasons on the Philadelphia 76ers sidelines as a player development coach. Previous to his time in Philly, Jones spent five seasons working with Troy Weaver and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Weaver, obviously, liked what he saw from Jones in their time together. During his five-year run, Jones was named senior performance analysis lead and player development coach.
It seems unlikely that this is intended in any way to fill the gap left by the departure of Sean Sweeney. Credited with having primary responsibility for the team’s defensive game plan, Sweeney was negotiating a new contract with the Pistons when he decided to join Jason Kidd, who he worked under in Milwaukee and Brooklyn, when Kidd was named the Dallas Mavericks head coach.
The Pistons are already well-suited to fill Sweeney’s role with the previously announced addition of Rex Kalamian, who has been a top-level assistant with defensive responsibilities for several previous franchises. The PIstons also added former Michigan head coach Jon Beilein to help lead player development and Jerome Allen and Bill Bayno as lead assistants under Dwane Casey.