This will be a big offseason for the Detroit Pistons, as they hope to transform the roster into a winner and also have to find a new head coach.
The Pistons seem in no big hurry on the latter, though they have scheduled interviews with several candidates.
According to The Athletic (SUBSCRIPTION), three frontrunners may have emerged from that list, Charles Lee, Kevin Ollie and Jarron Collins.
Of the three, Lee has gotten the most attention as a rising star in the coaching ranks under coach Mike Budenholzer, but Jarron Collins also has an impressive resume as an assistant and could end up being the guy the Detroit Pistons hire.
Detroit Pistons: Jarron Collins is an assistant to watch
Jarron Collins didn’t have a spectacular career as a player in the NBA as a second-round pick turned role player, but he did play parts of 11 seasons, eight of which were under Jerry Sloan, one of the best NBA coaches of all time.
Collins has worked as a scout for the Clippers and in player development for the Warriors, who then promoted him to assistant coach. Collins was on the coaching staff of three title teams, so he’s been a part of a winning organization and learned under Steve Kerr, who has been an innovative coaching mind in the NBA.
The Warriors’ offense gets most of the attention, but they won titles behind their defense, an area where the Detroit Pistons need vast improvement.
For the last two seasons, Collins has been coaching as an assistant under Willie Green in New Orleans. Green is also a rising young star in the coaching ranks and the Pelicans have assembled one of the best assistant coaching staffs in the league with Collins along with Teresa Weatherspoon, Fred Vinson and Mike D’Antoni.
Collins has been learning from and coaching aside some of the best coaches in the game, knows what it takes to be a championship team and would bring a new approach to a hopefully revamped roster.
He may not be the “big name” some fans are hoping for, but he’s got the kinds of credentials the Detroit Pistons are looking for in their next head coach.