(Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
These days, it is not uncommon for teams in the NBA to hire former players to be head coaches, as some franchises have had success with this approach, like currently, for example, Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks and Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors.
Although Kidd was a superstar in his prime during his playing career, he was able to make the transition to coaching in the NBA and have success, which is uncommon, as players of that caliber tend to lead by example on the basketball floor and struggle to coach players successfully.
Even though former superstar players struggle to make the transition, plenty of role players during their playing careers have made the transition seamlessly, like Pat Riley with the Los Angeles Lakers during the Showtime era or Doc Rivers over the course of his coaching career, which has spanned over two decades.
On a recent episode of KG Certified, former Boston Celtics superstar Paul Pierce talked about preferring coaches who were former players because they can build better relationships with their players via Kevin Garnett’s Twitter account.
“When you (as a coach) understand the player as a player, they can relate to you, and then you build better relationships,” Pierce said.
“When you (as a coach) understand the player as a player, they can relate to you, and then you build better relationships.” – @paulpierce34
There’s a reason we’re seeing so many former players as coaches now in the league…When a coach is on the same page as their stars, good… pic.twitter.com/l3RxaLf1GD
— Kevin Garnett (@KevinGarnett5KG) June 17, 2024
One current situation that makes this an interesting debate and discussion is the Lakers potentially hiring JJ Redick to be their new head coach, replacing Darvin Ham, a first-timer and former player.
Redick has zero coaching experience, but he is a serious candidate for the job due to his basketball mind.
Some believe it will be an absolute disaster for Redick to get the job, while others think differently.
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