Billy Donovan Setting Table for Epic First Season with OKC Thunder
Billy Donovan has only been the Oklahoma City Thunder head coach for two months, but he's laying the groundwork for a successful NBA career before his inaugural season begins.
By quickly getting acclimated to his new team and surrounding himself with an experienced group of assistant coaches, Donovan is putting himself in position to hit the ground running in his pro debut.
While Donovan signed a five-year deal on April 30 to be OKC's new coach, all of the focus will be on the former Florida Gators boss' first season. The Thunder are looking to bounce back after injuries caused them to finish 45-37 and miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008-09. On top of that, the upcoming season is a contract year for superstar Kevin Durant, which puts added pressure on Donovan to succeed right away.
In an interview shortly after his new coach was hired, Durant expressed enthusiasm over Donovan's arrival, per ESPN.com's Royce Young.
"When you don't have a coach, it's a lot of uncertainty in the building. But coming into the practice facility today, I felt like it was a next step for us. It was an exciting feeling for everybody that was there at the gym today to learn that we got Billy as our coach. We're excited, so we're looking forward to it.
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Donovan posted a 502-206 record (.709 winning percentage) and won two championships during his 21 years in college, but he'd never coached in the NBA prior to coming to OKC. However, with the Golden State Warriors' Steve Kerr and Cleveland Cavaliers' David Blatt both leading their teams to the NBA Finals this season, the stigma of being a rookie head coach isn't as prevalent as it once was.
Also, looking to the collegiate ranks to find the next hot coach has become a new (old) trend in the NBA. Last year, the Boston Celtics plucked Brad Stevens out of Butler. This season, Donovan joined the Thunder, and Iowa State's Fred Hoiberg was hired by the Chicago Bulls to replace Tom Thibodeau.
Like Kerr, Donovan inherits a deep and talented roster that had plenty of success under the previous regime but consistently fell short of its championship goals. Time will tell whether he ends his first year hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy like Kerr did, but so far, he's off to a pretty solid start.
One of the keys to Kerr's success during his rookie campaign was putting together a staff that would make the learning curve easier to handle. He brought in the offensive mind of experienced assistant/head coach Alvin Gentry (now becoming head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans), while also adding Ron Adams, who had been an NBA assistant for seven different teams since 1992, to fortify the defense.
To help ease his transition from college to the pros, Donovan is following a similar blueprint. Mark Bryant and Darko Rajakovic, who served under ex-Thunder coach Scott Brooks, are expected to be retained. Former Alabama head coach Anthony Grant, who worked under Donovan at both Marshall and Florida, will also join his former mentor in Oklahoma City, per Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman.
However, the most notable addition to Donovan's crew is Monty Williams, who commandeered the New Orleans Pelicans for five seasons before being surprisingly dismissed shortly after the team's first-round exit this year. The 43-year-old also spent five years as an assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers prior to coming to New Orleans.
Williams' biggest strength during his run in the Big Easy was player development. He helped Anthony Davis emerge from a raw 19-year-old rookie to an MVP candidate and one of the NBA's best players in just three seasons. He also had a hand in turning afterthoughts like Alexis Ajinca and Norris Cole into serviceable role players.
The other positive to Williams joining the Thunder is his connection with Durant, as the two spent time together during KD's brief stint with Team USA last summer. In an interview with Sam Amick of USA Today in October, the four-time scoring champion spoke highly of the former Pels coach:
"Monty Williams has been a big influence as well, just coming from the same area I come from, knowing his background and knowing his story ... to know him from afar, just knowing that he put in so much work to become a head coach, just being around him for a week with USA basketball and knowing how great he is with the guys. He is a phenomenal leader, so he inspires me a lot because he's from the area I grew up in and the route he took to making it in the NBA and being a coach and being just a great leader.
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As Durant pointed out, he and Williams are both products of Prince George's County, which is in the Washington D.C. area. When Williams was told of Durant's kind words, he responded with his own share of praise, per Slater: "I'm the one who should be looking up to him. He's a wonderful man and I enjoy being around him."
With Durant's happiness being especially important this season, the decision to bring Williams on was a wise one by Donovan. Williams also gives Donovan an experienced ear to bend on the sidelines.
Williams may not be the only former head coach with ties to the Thunder franchise joining Donovan's staff. According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the club is considering bringing back Mo Cheeks, who was previously an assistant in Oklahoma City from 2009-2013. Cheeks also had head coaching stints with the Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons.
According to Erik Horne of The Oklahoman, ex-Orlando Magic interim coach James Borrego was also a candidate for a staff spot. Unfortunately for OKC, Borrego recently agreed to return to the San Antonio Spurs, per NBA.com, where he was an assistant for seven seasons.
Like Williams and Durant, the appeal of Cheeks is his connection with point guard Russell Westbrook. The two became close during their four years together before Cheeks left to take over the Pistons, as Slater points out:
"About three hours before every game, long before most other players have arrived at the arena, Westbrook goes through a meticulous individual workout on the court. He’s been doing it for years. Cheeks used to run the workout, showing up early and navigating Westbrook through the different drills and shooting routines. It helped them form a bond.
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During his tenure, Cheeks was the voice of reason that would counter Westbrook's trademark fiery disposition. A good example of this came back in January of 2013, when Russ lost his cool during a game against the Memphis Grizzlies and Cheeks rushed to calm him down.
With Westbrook hitting the open market in the summer of 2017, the potential return of Cheeks couldn't come at a better time. As with Williams, the addition of Cheeks is another example of Donovan making the relationship with his two best players a priority.
However, Oklahoma City's success will inevitably boil down to how the team responds to Donovan himself. To his credit, Donovan has made a point of endearing himself to his new players.
Small forward Kyle Singler, who is a restricted free agent and may not even be on the roster next season, told ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein that the Thunder had every player meet with Donovan personally. The Duke product said he walked away from his brief meeting impressed with OKC's new sultan of the sidelines.
"Really liked the things he had to say, liked his demeanor. He didn't really get into much talking about [my role]. He just wanted to know what my opinions were with the team last year, what I thought would help the team out next season, stuff like that, style-wise.
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Serge Ibaka, who took to Twitter to hint at his frustrations over Brooks' dismissal, is ready to get behind his new boss, as well, per Brian Brinkley of KFOR.com: "He's a good guy, a very good guy. He's smart. I'm going to support him like the organization. The players are going to support him."
During his appearance at the NBA draft lottery, Westbrook echoed Ibaka's sentiments, per Slater: "Billy’s a good guy. We definitely sat down a few times already. Looking forward to that and looking forward to next year."
As for Durant, Donovan put an emphasis on reaching out to his star player during his introductory press conference, per Slater: "Well, the first thing is that I want to develop a better relationship with Kevin. I want to get to know him as a person. That's the most important thing to me."
Donovan also stressed the importance of getting involved with the community during his conference, which is huge in a closely knit town like Oklahoma City. Two days after getting the Thunder job, he visited a local Boys & Girls Club.
The Thunder organization has always done its part to help out around the area, whether it is donating money to tornado disaster relief or Westbrook opening up reading centers via his Why Not? Foundation, which helped earn him this year's NBA Cares Community Assist Award.
While Donovan's tenure will ultimately be measured by wins and losses, the early part of his NBA career has been about mastering the little things.
Billy Donovan could have stayed at the University of Florida and continued to build on his iconic status in Gainesville. Instead, he accepted the challenge of taking over an Oklahoma City Thunder team entering arguably the most pivotal season in franchise history.
As if trying to help OKC reach its championship expectations wasn't daunting enough, Donovan will also have to endure constant questions about Kevin Durant's pending free agency. On top of that, he's replacing a coach in Scott Brooks who was wildly popular with many of the players on the current roster.
So far, Donovan has proven he's up to the task. He's already established himself as a player's coach and assembled a staff built to make his transition less rigorous. While time will tell how the team will fare on the court, Donovan has wasted little time making his initial mark.
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