OKC Thunder: 3 head coach candidates from the Popovich tree
Will Hardy – 10 seasons with Spurs – one as an assistant
Gregg Popovich has ruled the NBA coaching landscape for so long he could’ve been under consideration for Coach of the Year for virtually two straight decades. During the Duncan era, he did what few of his peers could fathom let alone succeed at by drastically shifting the Spurs offensive style.
That the Spurs seamlessly adapted to the increased pace and ball movement with more perimeter attempts is a credit to Popovich. Which is why Pop is in a league of his own — quite frankly there is the fraternity of 29 coaches and then there is Pop.
The only coaches during Popovich’s two-decade dominance mentioned in the same breath were Rick Carlisle and Erik Spoelstra. The latter took a unique path to the head coaching chair via the film room. Ironically, a young assistant on Pop’s staff who experienced a similar rise is Will Hardy.
Of all the assistants on the Spurs staff, Hardy is the one getting the most attention. Perhaps this is because of his resemblance to Coach Spo combined with the fact he’s been mentored by Pop.
As assistant coaches, the contrast between former NBA superstar Tim Duncan and Will Hardy is stark. Hardy’s playing experience is limited to Williams College but he honed his skills by working his way up the Spurs organization.
His journey with the Spurs began In 2010 as a basketball operations intern. One season later he moved into the film room as an assistant and took over as the video coordinator two seasons later. Popovich liked what he saw and brought him into the court to see if his prowess at breaking down film could translate on the court via his teaching technique.
Mixed in were stints coaching the Summer League team at the Utah tournament and eventually also at Vegas. The slow steady rise culminated this past season with his addition to the coaching staff as an assistant. Some might consider his rise meteoric, but he’s been with the Spurs now for a decade.
While some might consider his age (32) too young to become a head coach the Wolves Ryan Saunders and Celtics Brad Stevens offer examples of success. Moreover, if the OKC Thunder elects to fully commit to tanking his youth might be an advantage as he’ll grow with the team as they improve.
In 2017, the Warriors tried to steal him away from the Spurs to coach their G-League squad and with the bevy of open positions that occurred this season, he was a name frequently mentioned. As per Adrian Wojnarowski, Hardy made an impression on the Knicks. Hardy is the hot commodity in the association and as such has been rumored to be on Presti’s shortlist.
If Will Hardy becomes the next OKC Thunder head coach it will be a strong indication the team is committed to rebuilding.