Name: Becky Hammon
Age: 43
Experience: Assistant coach with San Antonio Spurs since 2014
Coaching record: N/A
Overview
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For much of the last decade, Becky Hammon has been going against the norm and destroying barriers. After an ACL injury during her time in the WNBA with the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2013, Hammon spent extensive time with the Spurs coaching staff in practices and meetings. That eventually led to her being hired by the organization as an assistant coach after she retired from playing.
From there, Hammon took control and worked her way up the Spurs assistant ladder. She eventually coached the Spurs Summer League team to a title and has interviewed for the Milwaukee Bucks general manager job.
The next logical step, it would seem, would be a move to the head coaching role. Pau Gasol passionately stumped for Hammon in a Player’s Tribune piece in 2018, and his words should carry some weight:
“I’ve played with some of the best players of this generation … and I’ve played under two of the sharpest minds in the history of sports, in Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich. And I’m telling you: Becky Hammon can coach. I’m not saying she can coach pretty well. I’m not saying she can coach enough to get by. I’m not saying she can coach almost at the level of the NBA’s male coaches. I’m saying: Becky Hammon can coach NBA basketball. Period.”
New Orleans is positioned to be a team that could bring in a younger coach to grow with the team. Given her age and experience playing herself, Hammon would be able to relate to the players.
It’d be a risk to hire Hammon, but only from the standpoint of it always being a risk to hire an assistant without head coaching experience. But given the success the Popovich coaching tree has had in the likes of Brett Brown, Mike Budenholzer and Monty Williams, there’s plenty of reason to believe in Hammon.
Coaching style
Obviously, knowing exactly what style Hammon would prefer is impossible. Popovich’s style is an egalitarian style focused on ball and player movement to create the best open look.
That is a drastic contrast from the style the Pelicans played last season. New Orleans ran an offense with little set actions that was mainly predicated on speed and self-creation. San Antonio is generally the polar opposite of that, though they ranked in the middle of the pack in pace last season.
The other benefit the Pelicans have is a flexibility to adapt to different styles. With a core of Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, any number of types of players could be added as a fifth starter to set the team’s playstyle.
How she’d fit with Lonzo Ball
Hammon’s experience as a point guard herself would certainly be a benefit for Lonzo Ball’s development. She had a prolific career in the WNBA after going undrafted, a common theme in her playing career.
In San Antonio, Hammon has helped the development of Dejounte Murray and Derrick White into two of the better young point guards in the Western Conference.
With Ball, she could have a similar type of effect as he continues to develop his game after a strong first season in New Orleans.
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