It’s only been two weeks since the Detroit Pistons tapped Monty Williams as their new head coach. Most of his coaching staff is already in place.
Former Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas will be his lead assistant. Joining him are former Philadelphia 76ers assistant Dan Burke and former Phoenix Suns assistant Brian Randle, who will run the defense, former Suns assistant Jarrett Jack, who will run the offense alongside Silas, and former Suns assistant Steve Scalzi, who Williams praised for his player development acumen.
Williams is also bringing in Jamelle McMillan, the son of longtime NBA coach Nate McMillan, and Spencer Rivers, the youngest son of former Sixers head coach Doc Rivers, as player development coaches. Williams will also look to retain some of Detroit’s personnel under Dwane Casey, but his staff is mostly set for now.
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“We feel like we have a lot of the bases covered as far as experience, as far as player development, acumen, in-game situations,” Williams told the Free Press. “I feel like we’ve covered a lot.”
Silas, the son of former NBA player and longtime coach Paul Silas, was an assistant for 20 years before the Rockets hired him as head coach in 2020. He and Williams have a longstanding relationship, but Williams noted he initially believed Silas would join a different organization. After reaching out, Silas changed his mind and came to Detroit.
“Stephen, we all know he’s a great coach,” Williams said during his news conference. “He had a situation in Houston that’s a lot like this. He had a young team that he had to navigate and teach and go through some rough times. The person he is is someone I’ve admired for a while.
“I think he’s someone who will call me up when I get off-track,” Williams continued. “I think he’s somebody that can relate to the loneliness of the head coaching position. He’ll be somebody that I lean on a lot, along with the other members on this staff.”
Burke is a longtime assistant renowned for his defensive acumen. Uniquely for an NBA coach, the Pistons are only his fourth franchise in 34 years. His first job was with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1989, and he remained there until he joined the Indiana Pacers from 1997-2020. Most recently, he was with the Sixers since 2020.
Randle, Jack and Scalzi are all following Williams from Phoenix. Randle joined Williams’ staff in 2020 and was previously a 6-foot-8 wing for Illinois from 2003-08 before enjoying a successful career in Israel, where he was a three-time Israeli Basketball Premier League Defensive Player of the Year and the Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP in 2010.
Jack was an NBA point guard from 2005-18, playing for eight franchises before ending his career with the G League Ignite in 2021. He joined Williams’ coaching staff afterward. Scalzi also joined Williams’ staff in 2021, and was previously an assistant and player development coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2014-21.
McMillan was a player development coach under Williams in New Orleans from 2013-16, and had assistant stops in Phoenix, New Orleans and Atlanta along the way. Rivers was a player development coach with the Sixers, and played for UC Irvine from 2016-19.
“Those guys are really good in player development,” Williams said of McMillan and Rivers. “Jamelle’s been a bench coach.”
They will assist Williams as he takes over a young roster eager to turn the page on a 17-win season. He sees parallels between the 19-win Suns team he inherited in 2019-20, and has big hopes for Detroit’s young core.
“You see the same things you see with Cam (Johnson) and Mikal (Bridges), just hungry, in the gym all the time ready to take a jump,” Williams told the Free Press. “I look at Jalen (Duren) and I’m like, this young man is going to be an All-Star soon, and (James Wiseman), how do we get him? Both those guys have a chance to be special. Cade’s Cade. You don’t take it for granted but he has so much room to grow.
“Jaden (Ivey’s) just, everybody wants to compare him to Russell (Westbrook). “I think he’s Jaden. You don’t have to compare a guy. I think he’s going to be his own, unique player. He has the work ethic, so you know he’s going to get better.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa.
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