Knicks assistant Bryant is a player development guru
Alec Burks was in his second year with the Utah Jazz when Johnnie Bryant joined the franchise as a lowlevel assistant coach. Suddenly, Burks' development gained an important ally.
“I thought I was working hard,” Burks said in an interview with the Daily News. “But he showed me there's a different level to be good in this league. And I feel like he brought me to that level.”
Bryant last week was named by the Knicks as their associate head coach, a surprising hire if only because he has no known ties to Tom Thibodeau. The move underscored not only the front office's heavy influence over the formation of Thibodeau's staff, but also it's effort to emphasize two specific areas: relationships with players and development.
Bryant, 35, is known for both. With Burks, for instance, Bryant not only dedicated his nights to training sessions, he became close to the player's family. It was a focused and personalized training that fostered an enduring relationship.
“He'd come to where I'm from, meet my family, work out with me,” Burks said. “Showing me a different type of love and getting me better at the same time.
“He gets to know your game, gets to know you as a person. I think that makes it easier on the court when he gets to know you off the court. He's big on that. He knows his basketball. He studied the game. He studied your film, know you individually, know what you got going and just preaches what he knows and gets you better through that.”
By Bryant's second season with he Jazz, Burks had transformed from an unproductive reserve to averaging 14 points on 46% shooting in 2013-14. He then bounced around the league and just wrapped up a campaign with Philadelphia, where he averaged 12.2 points over 18 regular season games before the Sixers' disappointing performance in the playoffs (Burks is also an unrestricted free agent and, given his connection to Bryant, is a role player the Knicks might consider).
Bryant has a long list of players he helped develop in Utah, including AllStars Donovan Mitchell, Gordon Hayward and Paul Millsap. He also developed Blazers superstar Dame Lillard through private workouts.
“The players he got better – the Donovans, the Gordon Haywards, myself. A lot of players that he got better over the course of his time,” Burks said. “I just feel like he brings that and then, the willingness to win and coach and be real with you, be honest. That's what you need. Especially in New York, you need that.”
Although Bryant's hiring prompted speculation the Knicks will target Mitchell, the idea is silly. Mitchell, the Jazz's All-Star guard, is neither close to becoming an unrestricted free agent nor anywhere near being on the trade market. Utah is holding on to its franchise player. If anything, his Jazz wingman Rudy Gobert will become available.
Bryant is also a CAA client, which seems to be a pre-requisite for Knicks hires these days given their team president and top executive — Leon Rose and William Wesley — have strong ties to the power agency. But while New York's other assistant hiring of Kenny Payne is viewed around the league as a relationship pull from Wesley — we're skeptical any other NBA team would've paid the salary it took New York to pry Payne from Kentucky — Bryant's promotion arrives with consensus that he's a rising star in high demand.
“I'm excited when I heard the news,” Burks said. “He worked his way up. It takes a lot to player development to who he is today.”