Why ex-Detroit Pistons coach candidate Kevin Ollie calls GM Troy Weaver a 'father figure'
BROOKLYN — In an alternate universe, the Brooklyn Nets’ head coach is currently leading the Detroit Pistons.
Kevin Ollie, who was named interim coach of the Nets in February, was one of three finalists for the Pistons’ vacant position last summer. That job, of course, eventually went to Monty Williams after Tom Gores presented him with a godfather offer in rebuttal to Williams' initial no.
A UConn alumnus and 13-year NBA veteran, Ollie became close with Pistons general manager Troy Weaver when the former was at the final stop of his playing career with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2009-10 season, where Weaver was an assistant general manager.
That relationship propelled Ollie to the forefront of Detroit’s coaching search — alongside then-Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee and New Orleans Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins — even though Ollie hadn’t coached a professional or college team since he parted ways with UConn in 2018.
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“Troy is a great friend of mine,” Ollie said before the Pistons' loss to the Nets in Brooklyn Saturday night. “He took an old veteran like myself and I came in and OKC was great during my time there. Just all the things that we did with Sam Presti and the front office. He’s a really good friend of mine, and it goes beyond basketball with our relationship. He’s like a father figure to me.”
Ollie was a culture-changer in Oklahoma because of the high standard he set with his professionalism, Kevin Durant once told ESPN. But Ollie’s lack of experience ultimately was a hurdle he couldn’t overcome in Detroit’s coaching search last offseason. He coached UConn to a national title in 2014, but only had the pro development program Overtime Elite on his resume following his departure from the college ranks four years later.
He eventually joined the Nets as an assistant under head coach Jacque Vaughn last summer — his first time sitting on an NBA bench as a coach. Brooklyn promoted Ollie to the lead chair after firing Vaughn on Feb. 19. The Nets are 10-14 since the coaching change.
Ollie is also close with Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson. Ollie was served as Overtime Elite’s head of coaching and basketball development from the league’s start in 2021 until 2023. He became well-acquainted with Thompson and his twin brother Amen, who put the program on the map as two highly regarded NBA prospects.
“He’s just a consummate pro,” Ollie said of the Pistons rookie who has been out since early March with blood clots. “I knew that when we first got him. They live in the gym. I knew he was going to get better. Dealing with the ups and downs of the season and becoming a pro, it’s a different atmosphere, different challenge for him. But I know his beliefs are strong as far as who he is and what he stands for on and off the basketball court. I knew it wasn’t going to be that difficult for him to understand the rhythm of it.
“I know he’s got a great organization behind him, a great coach behind him and some great teammates with him. He’s fitting in great. The sky’s the limit for him because he stays in the gym, and he puts the work in and he stamps his work each and every day. Looking forward to the future and what it brings for him, especially next season. Just not against us, though. He killed us up there last game.”
Thompson showcased his all-around game against the Nets on March 7, a Pistons win in which he finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal. He’ll finish his rookie season averaging 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and roughly and block and steal per game.
His biggest weakness with Overtime Elite — his outside shot — remains a weakness. He hit just 18.6% of his 3-point attempts thus far. But his all-around game, and particularly his tools on defense, made him Detroit’s preferred option with the fifth overall pick and gave Ollie confidence that the 6-foot-7 wing would thrive in the NBA.
Had Gores not presented Williams with a historic six-year, $78.5 million contract, perhaps Ollie would’ve made it deeper into Detroit’s hiring process. Nonetheless, he remains close with Weaver and Thompson.
“His playmaking ability,” Ollie said when asked what stood out about Thompson’s game. “A lot of people don’t see that, but I saw it. We took the team with him and all the upperclassmen to Spain. Just to see his point guard ability, how he stays in the gym working on his shot, I know that’s going to come and continue to get better.
“His playmaking ability, his ability to recognize patterns and his court-mapping had been great at an early age when we got him at OTE and has kept getting better and better because he’s a student of the game.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
Next up: 76ers
Matchup: Pistons (13-65) at Philadelphia (43-35).
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Tuesday; Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia.
TV/radio: Channel 20 in Detroit; WWJ-AM (950).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Former Detroit Pistons coach candidate: Troy Weaver a 'father figure'
