Luka Doncic Reacts To The Rockets’ Coaching Hire

The Houston Rockets have found their replacement for Mike D’Antoni, in Dallas Mavericks assistant Stephen Silas. Mavs star Luka Doncic, one of the best players in the NBA, is happy for his soon-to-be-former coach.

Silas, the son of longtime NBA head coach Paul Silas, has been with Dallas since 2018. He has a lengthy resume as an assistant dating back to 1999, when he joined his father’s Charlotte Hornets staff as a scout. Since, he’s had tenures with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, Golden State Warriors, the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets again, before landing with Rick Carlile and the Mavs.

The team took Luka Doncic in 2018, acquiring him in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks at No. 3 overall. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2019, and made his first All-Star Game and All-NBA First Team this season. Doncic averaged 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game in 2019-20, and was involved in MVP conversations for a good chunk of the year.

He appears to be pretty pumped for Stephen Silas. In response to Adrian Wojnarowski’s news that he is landing the job with the in-state rival Houston Rockets, he tweeted “Well deserved!!” with two clapping hands emoji.

In Doncic, Stephen Silas got to coach one of the best up-and-coming players in the NBA. He’ll have pretty high expectations with the Houston Rockets, at least as currently constituted.

The team is led by former MVP James Harden, who has been an incredible individual talent, but the Rockets have struggled to get over the hump against teams like the Golden State Warriors. The team finished 44-28 in the shortened 2019-20 season, losing in five games to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.

Doncic and the Mavs were 43-32, losing in six games to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs.

[Luka Doncic]

The post Luka Doncic Reacts To The Rockets’ Coaching Hire appeared first on The Spun.