Nine days before the Memphis Grizzlies drafted Ja Morant second overall in 2019, they hired a new head coach. With the benefit of hindsight, it’s clear that Taylor Jenkins was the perfect candidate for the job. But at the time, it wasn’t a “splashy” hire.
Jenkins was well-qualified, as he previously was an assistant under Mike Budenholzer for six seasons — five with the Atlanta Hawks, and one with the Milwaukee Bucks. But he didn’t have great name recognition and didn’t play professional or college basketball. Then 34 years old, he was younger than many assistants who are promoted to the lead chair.
His biggest claim to fame was a viral video during the Bucks’ first round series against the Detroit Pistons earlier that year, in which he jumped in front of his bench, arms outreached, to prevent players from leaving it during an on-court scuffle.
Taylor has since emerged as one of the NBA’s best head coaches, placing second in Coach of the Year voting in 2022 and guiding the Grizzlies to consecutive 50-plus win seasons and top-two Western Conference finishes.
The Pistons are up next. For the first time since taking over as general manager in 2020, Troy Weaver will conduct a head coach search. He’s casting a wide net, and not operating with a timeline. Young or old, new or veteran, it doesn’t matter. Following a 17-win season, Weaver’s primary concern is finding the right person.
PISTONS HEAD COACH SEARCH TICKER: Candidates, interviews, updates
“I know what this team needs is simple — discipline, development and defense,” he said during his end-of-season press conference. “That’s going to be the call for the next coach.”
There’s already an established mold he can follow. The Grizzlies are one of several rebuilding franchises who have found success in hiring a young, little-known assistant in recent years. The Oklahoma City Thunder tabbed one of their own, Mark Daigneault, as head coach in 2020 to replace Billy Donovan. Three years later, the Thunder won 40 games and qualified for the play-in tournament. Will Hardy just led the rebuilding Utah Jazz to 37 wins, exceeding expectations in his first season after seven years as an assistant — six under Gregg Popovich.
Detroit native and New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green may have more name recognition as a 12-year NBA veteran, but he fits the rest of the description. In his second season, he guided the team to a 42-40 record — a six-game improvement — and a play-in berth despite Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson combining for 74 games played. Green was an assistant with Steve Kerr and won a championship with the Warriors from 2016-19.
The early signs suggest the Pistons are aiming for their own young assistant who can grow as a head coach along with the rest of their young core.
Searching far and wide
Less than two weeks after Dwane Casey announced he’s stepping down as head coach to join the front office, the Pistons already have a lengthy list of candidates who they will reportedly interview. Thus far, all of them would be first-time NBA head coaches.
The ever-expanding list is almost entirely assistants, including two from Casey’s staff: Rex Kalamian and Jerome Allen. They both joined the Pistons in 2021, and are well-respected within the organization. This is Kalamian’s third stop with Casey, after previously coaching with him in Toronto and Minnesota. Allen was an assistant under Brad Stevens in Boston from 2015-21, and was the head coach of his alma mater, Penn. Their experience with this front office, and relationships with the players, should aid them.
The only outsider is former UConn head coach Kevin Ollie, the head of coaching and basketball development for Overtime Elite. While a few veteran names could join the list, it hints to where the Pistons’ thinking is thus far.
ANOTHER FUTURE PILLAR? James Wiseman knows what he has to do to secure future
Many of the other reported candidates come from prestigious coaching trees. Charles Lee has been on Budenholzer’s staff for nine seasons, Chris Quinn has been with the Miami Heat since 2014 and Jarron Collins won three championships while on Kerr’s staff in Golden State. Brooklyn Nets assistant Brian Keefe overlapped with Weaver in Oklahoma, a period that saw the franchise tally four 50-plus win seasons and a Finals appearance.
Former Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka, who led the team to the Finals during his lone season 2022, interviewed with the Pistons in 2018 after seven seasons with Popovich and a season each with the 76ers and Nets. His name could emerge once again this time around, and he would stand out as one of the few candidates — if not the only — with experience as the top coach.
Gores ultimately went with Casey, who was fresh off of a Coach of the Year award with the Raptors. In 2014, Gores hired another veteran coach in Stan Van Gundy. He has favored coaches with track records for success, but that approach hasn’t delivered winning results in Detroit.
After several years of table-setting, the Pistons are well-positioned to significantly upgrade their talent level this offseason. There could be a temptation to hire another familiar name — a coach who has been through it and can help the franchise navigate the next stage.
But rather than making a safe hire, there’s merit to the idea that head coaching experience is overrated. A new, untested voice could energize the franchise. It’s worked for others, while the Pistons have been risk-averse.
‘A prime situation’
Despite their record, the Pistons have luxuries that coaches joining rebuilding situations typically aren’t offered. They already have a franchise player in 2021 first overall pick Cade Cunningham. Their 2022 lottery picks, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, are trending toward that direction. They have cap space, a top-five pick and could bring back two strong veteran scorers in Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.
FREE AGENCY: Predicting which Pistons free agents will stay, go in 2023-24
Weaver isn’t hiring a coach at the beginning of a rebuild. The front office believes the Pistons are at the midway point, and that a new head coach will be able to hit the ground running without having to deal with the aches, pains and uncertainties that come with starting from scratch.
“This is a prime situation for any coach, whether it’s a young coach, older coach or whatever the description Troy comes up with as far as the parameters,” Casey said at his final news conference at the Pistons Performance Center in New Center last week. “It’s ready. The young talent is here, the position is here.”
“I’m sure Troy’s phone is ringing off the hook right now, because this is a very attractive job,” Casey continued. “Look at this facility — a world-class facility, world-class arena and world-class fans. This is a prime situation for any coach to come into. Not ready for a championship tomorrow, but ready to take the next step.”
Not all recent assistant hires have worked out. Recently-dismissed Stephen Silas was caught between the Houston Rockets’ awkward transition from James Harden to Jalen Green, coaching the former for eight games before the All-NBA guard was traded. James Borrego, who coached the Charlotte Hornets from 2018-22, started his tenure with Kemba Walker as his starting point guard and ended it with LaMelo Ball.
The Pistons can offer something else that other rebuilding teams often can’t — stability. They can point to Casey, who finished the initial five-year deal he signed in 2018 and was given the grace to exit on his terms, as an example of how they value their coaches. Their young core is intact. There are no maximum-contract superstars who can undo years of progress overnight.
The Pistons will take their time with their head coach search. And the best option might be hiring one whose clock has yet to start.
Listen to “The Pistons Pulse” every Tuesday morning and on demand on freep.com or wherever you listen to podcasts. Catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa.