As per a tweet today from Sam Amick it appears the rumored departure of OKC Thunder Assistant Coach Bob Beyer has now become reality.
Luke Walton is wasting no time filling up his open associate coaching positions. One of those spots will be going to Bob Beyers who served on OKC Thunder Head Coach Billy Donovan‘s staff since 2018.
As per Sam Amick, other positions will be filled by Jesse Mermuys who coached with Walton on the LA Lakers staff and Roy Rana. I’m thrilled for Rana who is well known in Toronto and Canada. Many thought Rana had a great shot at landing the open Canadian National team spot which now appears to be going to Raptors Head Coach Nick Nurse. Rana led the Canadian under 19 team to the gold medal in the World Championships in 2017.
Regardless, Rana is a great addition to the Kings staff and both the players and Walton will benefit from his intelligence and demeanor. Also joining the Kings as an assistant in player development is former player Bobby Jackson who played with the Kings for six seasons and is also a feel good hire.
Six weeks after Kings hired Luke Walton, his staff has begun to take shape. Source tells @TheAthleticNBA Walton has added Bob Beyer (formerly OKC), Jesse Mermuys (Lakers), & Canadian coach Roy Rana as assts. Bobby Jackson to be Asst./player development. Likely adding 2-3 more.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) May 28, 2019
As for Beyer his tenure was short on the Thunder, but he was both respected and liked as an assistant coach.
What this means is Billy Donovan will likely be looking to fill two spots on his staff. This because newly hired Phoenix Suns Head Coach Monty Williams is rumored to be keen to add assistant Mark Bryant to his coaching team. Bryant has been on the OKC Thunder staff from its inception moving over from the Seattle SuperSonics.
These exits need to be looked at as an opportunity to address needs. Personally, adding a coach who has prowess in teaching shooting fundamentals seems like a no-brainer given how poorly the Thunder perform both at the charity stripe and the perimeter. And, perhaps that is something which needs to be an additional consideration (read: hire a dedicated shooting coach).
Regardless, both Beyer and Bryant are solid assistants who’ll be missed.