Pistons officially announce Monty Williams as new head coach

Detroit News

Detroit — The Pistons have officially named Monty Williams the new head coach of the franchise, the team announced in a statement on Friday night.

“I couldn’t be more proud to have Monty joining us at this important time to lead us into the next decade of our future,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said. “He embodies all of the qualities we want in a leader for our Pistons franchise, and most importantly a teacher and mentor for our players. He will have an impact on every aspect of our franchise, on and off the court.

The Pistons and Williams signed a multi-year deal and while terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed, the contract is worth six years and $78.5 million, tying him to the franchise through the 2028-29 season.

Williams initially planned to take a season off from coaching, but Gores and the rest of the Pistons’ front office ramped up their pursuit of the former Coach of the Year with a generous offer over Memorial Day weekend, which was signed on Thursday.

“A week ago, I was not sure what the future would hold,” Williams said. “But, after talking with Tom and Troy (Weaver), I was excited hearing their vision for the Pistons going forward. They had a thoughtful plan and I am so appreciative of the emphasis they placed on the personal side of this business. They showed tremendous consideration for me and my family throughout this process.

“They also showed a commitment to success and doing things the right way. As we discussed the team and expressed our collective goals, I realized that this would be a great opportunity for me to help a talented young team and build a strong culture here in Detroit. This is obviously a special place with a deep basketball history, and my family and I are looking forward to the opportunity to be a part of this city and organization.”

Weaver spearheaded a search to replace former Pistons coach Dwane Casey over the last two months, which initially came down to three finalists without NBA coaching experience — New Orleans Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins, Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee and former Overtime Elite coach Kevin Ollie — but the organization desired an experienced voice to lead its young roster.

“Monty represented the ideal prototype for our young team, but we didn’t expect him to be available,” Weaver said. “When he suddenly became available, we jumped at the opportunity to speak with him. That doesn’t mean the others in our process were not strong candidates. They were. But Monty is the prototype.”

Williams, 51, has experience as an NBA head coach, associate head coach and assistant coach for 16 of the past 18 years. He has one NBA Finals appearance (2021), he served as coach in an NBA All-Star game (2022) and he won a Gold Medal with the US Men’s National Team as an assistant coach in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Formerly the head coach of the Phoenix Suns, Williams led the organization to the Western Conference semifinals this past season, and he was named the 2022 NBA Coach of the Year after leading the Suns to a league-best and franchise record 64 wins during the 2021-22 season. Williams also led Phoenix to the postseason in each of the past three seasons. Known for his ability to develop players and turn around franchises, the Suns won 34 games during his first season in 2019-20, which was a 15-game improvement, and he followed that up with 51 victories during his second year.

Williams will be formally introduced at a news conference in Detroit next week, and the statement states that he has already initiated the transition and begun scheduling player meetings and staff development.

“After spending some time with Monty, it’s clear that he’s found a unique balance between achieving victory at the highest level while at the same time nurturing a culture of growth, development and inspiration,” Gores added. “I’m beyond excited. This is a huge win for us.”

mcurtis@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @MikeACurtis2

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