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New York Knicks: Should Becky Hammon be the next coach?

By Christian Kim

SAN ANTONIO, TX - DECEMBER 3: Head Coach Gregg Popovich, and Assistant Coach Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Spurs are seen talking with each other against the Houston Rockets on December 3, 2019 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photos by Darren Carroll/NBAE via Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - DECEMBER 3: Head Coach Gregg Popovich, and Assistant Coach Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Spurs are seen talking with each other against the Houston Rockets on December 3, 2019 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photos by Darren Carroll/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Becky Hammon is one of the potential candidates to coach the New York Knicks next year.

Per CNBC, Becky Hammon has been rumored as a potential candidate to become the next New York Knicks head coach. The former WNBA All-star was hired as the assistant coach of the San Antonio Spurs back in 2014.

Hammon became the first female assistant coach that is full-time in the NBA. Under the direction of Gregg Popovich, she has proven that gender does not dictate coaching skills in the NBA.

With all this said, Hammon has never been the head coach in the NBA. There was a chance for her to be the leading coach on Nov. 16, when Popovich had been ejected from a game in the third quarter and the rest of the assistant coaches had to step up. While it was initially reported that Hammon was the head coach after the ejection, it was later clarified that Tim Duncan was the replacement for the rest of the game. So that’s as far as Hammon has gotten in terms of being the head coach of an NBA team if you don’t consider summer league.

Now the Knicks are not known to hire too many rookie coaches. Most of them from our memory has served to some capacity on other teams before coaching the teams. Most recently, it was Derek Fisher, but that was under the guidance of Phil Jackson, who wanted to run the Triangle offense. Who better to coach the triangle than the point guard of all five of Jackson’s championships with the Lakers?

Well, Fisher’s run wasn’t exactly a success. He had an abysmal 40-96 record, which was good for a .294 winning percentage. Somehow David Fizdale beat his record.

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how Hammon runs her offense, but I think it will reflect a lot of influence from Popovich. The Spurs’ offense evolves year after year, and there are two things that remained constant for Popovich.

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  1. Adjustment to Personnel (talent)
    • e.g. DeRozen & Aldridge
  2. Discipline for younger players
    • e,g, Duncan, Ginobili, Parker, Green, etc

If Hammon can keep those things as the head coach of the Knicks, she will probably find more success than Fisher or Fizdale. There is no system for Hammon to stubbornly fit the players to, and her ability to adjust to personnel will help this Knicks team play to their strengths.

With young players like Frank Ntilikina, RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox and Allonzo Trier, Hammon may be able to set a more disciplinarian culture for the young players instead of the friendly approach of Fizdale. She may need to be particular in selecting her coaching staff. Hopefully, experienced coaches are willing to join the staff. Owner James Dolan has been known to make sure one of “his” guys is on staff.

There are current coaches in the NBA under the Popovich coaching tree that are doing well in the NBA, with Brett Brown, Mike Budenholzer, James Borrego, and Monty Williams among them, and these are just the head coaches. If this sustains, then the same must be said of Hammon. She is a skilled coach in the NBA that can lead a team as a head coach.

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No one knows who will lead the New York Knicks next season, but if Becky Hammon is not selected, it will not be because she cannot be a head coach in the NBA.

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