Why star NBA players reportedly like playing for Stephen Silas

“The star guys he’s worked with have really liked playing for him and working with him,” Houston beat writer Jonathan Feigen said of Silas.

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For the Houston Rockets, among the many perks to new head coach Stephen Silas are the working relationships that he has often built throughout his NBA coaching career with superstar players.

Now 47 years old, Silas is becoming a head coach for the first time in Houston. But during approximately 20 years in the assistant ranks, he’s worked with Luka Doncic in Dallas; Kemba Walker in Charlotte; LeBron James in Cleveland; and Steph Curry in Golden State.

According to veteran beat writer Jonathan Feigen, who writes for the Houston Chronicle, the relationships that Silas has built with those types of players were seen as a major plus to his candidacy.

In Sunday’s Texas Sports Nation television show, Feigen compared Silas’ personality and demeanor to that of Brad Stevens, who is extremely well regarded for his work with the Boston Celtics. Feigen explains:

From just a tactical basketball standpoint, the job he’s done offensively throughout his career, and most notably with the Mavericks last year, where they had the best offensive rating in NBA history, jumps out at you.

But the thing that people talk about, when they talk about him, and this has been true for a long time, he’s a really smart guy. He comes off as the Ivy Leaguer that he is, unpretentious about it, it just comes through, in that his coaching style is very much a low-key, even-keel demeanor.

His father, Paul Silas, long-time coach, great rebounder in the NBA, All-Star, much more fiery style. He’s going to be more of the Brad Stevens type, where he talks straight with the guys, he brings them in, and guys like playing for him.

And they always have. Superstars have. Curry, LeBron James, Kemba Walker, Luka Doncic. The star guys he’s worked with have really liked playing for him and working with him. And a lot of that comes from that personal style. Very low-key, even-keel demeanor.

Silas worked the past two seasons as the top assistant to Rick Carlisle in Dallas, where the 2019-20 Mavs had the most efficient offense in NBA history, statistically. Between that and the rapid ascension of Doncic in the league’s superstar ranks, it was no surprise to see Luka praising Silas’ hire by the Rockets. “Well deserved,” Doncic tweeted.

Now, the Rockets are hopeful that Silas can work similarly well with All-Star guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook in Houston.

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