OKC Thunder: 7 head coach candidates with ties to franchise

Brian Keefe – two stints with OKC Thunder

Of those rumored to be among Sam Presti’s favorites to assume the head coaching job, current Thunder assistant Bran Keefe is the in-house candidate.

Like Will Hardy (another rumored Presti frontrunner) he began his coaching experience as a video coordinator also with the Spurs. He was part of Scott Brooks Thunder coaching staff as an assistant. Stints with the Knicks and Lakers preceded his return to the Thunder

A native of Winchester, Massachusetts Keefe played his college ball at UC Irvine but transferred to UNLV to play with the Running Rebels.

His initial coaching job came courtesy of Sam Presti while the team was still in Seattle and remained with the club as they moved to OKC. Keefe is one of the few coaches who can lay claim to working with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden while they were all on the OKC Thunder. His two areas of concentration became defense and player development.

This focus continued when Keefe spent time as an assistant coach in New York and LA. While with the Knicks he worked to help develop Kristaps Porzingis and for the Lakers, Brandon Ingram got the benefit of his tutelage. In both incidences, defense remained his priority.

In 2019 he returned to the OKC Thunder as an assistant on Donvan’s bench, again with a focus on defense and helping the development of the youngsters.

While it’s typical of Sam Presti to be thorough, perhaps the reason there hasn’t been a head coach announcement yet is the executive plans to propel Keefe into the role.

Of all the potential candidates the transition would be easiest for Keefe given he’s already on the staff and familiar with the players and systems the team used this past season.