Detroit Pistons: Meet The Coaching Candidates

The Detroit Pistons will be meeting with several candidates to fill their head coaching vacancy soon according to reports.

First, news broke that Troy Weaver scheduled an interview with former Uconn Huskies head coach Kevin Ollie according Shams Charania of the Athletic. As head coach Ollie lead UConn to a NCAA national title in 2014, three years after a successful championship run as an assistant under Jim Calhoun.

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What are your thoughts on Kevin Ollie as head coach?
Troy Weaver isn’t wasting time. #Pistons #NBA pic.twitter.com/cBfRJELeTT
— Woodward Pistons (@WoodwardPistons) April 14, 2023

Ollie is head of coaching and director of player development of Overtime Elite, a pro league with training. Draft lottery prospects Amen and Ausar Thompson are members of the Overtime Elite program under Ollie’s tutelage.

Detroit Pistons to Interview Trio of NBA Assistants

Shortly after the Ollie news, three more coaching candidates were reported to be meeting with the Pistons. This time a trio of NBA assistant coaches from organizations that have experienced sustained winning over the last decade.

he Pistons have requested permission from the Milwaukee Bucks to interview assistant coach Charles Lee as reported by Adrian Wojnarowski. He also confirmed they will be seeking to interview Adrian Griffin (Toronto Raptors) and Chris Quinn (Miami Heat) as well.

Charles Lee remains the most consistent and intriguing name attached to the Pistons coaching search. His mix experience as head coach in college and assistant on a championship winning team is valued.

Who is your favorite candidate for Detroit Pistons head coach?#Pistons #NBA pic.twitter.com/GSYHLJ8q16
— Woodward Pistons (@WoodwardPistons) April 14, 2023

Meet The Candidates

I reached out to Steve Pelletier, Woodward Pistons contributor, for a deeper dive into the three candidates.

Written by Steve Pelletier:
Charles Lee, Associate Head Coach of the Milwaukee Bucks
The Resume: After a four-year career at Bucknell (making it to the second-round of the NCAA
tournament in his junior and senior seasons), Charles Lee spent time playing professionally in
Israel, Belgium, and Germany before ending up back at his alma mater where he became an
assistant coach for the Bison in 2012. He remained an assistant at Bucknell until he got a call to
join Mike Budenholzer’s staff when Coach Bud was the Head Coach in Atlanta. 9 years later and
one NBA Title later, Lee has remained a part of Coach Bud’s staff as they went from Atlanta to
Milwaukee.
Charles Lee should be the next coach of the Detroit Pistons because:
He has experience in a winning NBA system across two different NBA teams and not to mention
one of those teams won the 2020-21 NBA Title. You also watch any mic’d up session with him
and you can see him work with young players on the little things that make them successful.
THIS to me it the reason Charles Lee was the top name thrown out when the list of potential
candidates was announced. A combination of Championship pedigree with an emphasis on
helping young guys develop winning habits? That sounds the PERFECT coach this Detroit
Pistons squad need.
And if you don’t believe me, just hear about his journey from the man himself:

Adrian Griffin, Assistant Coach of the Toronto Raptors
The Resume: 15-years as an NBA assistant coach under Scott Skiles, Tom Thibodeau, Billy
Donovan, and Nick Nurse. Oh and before that Adrian Griffin Sr. (father of Adrian Griffin Jr. also
know as AJ Griffin) was a nine-year NBA player playing for five different teams. Unless the
Pistons plan on interviewing someone like Sam Cassell, you would be hard pressed to find a
Head Coaching candidate with this combination of experience as an NBA player AND NBA
Coach.
Adrian Griffin should be the next coach of the Detroit Pistons because:
He is the perfect balance of someone who has a veteran presence on the sidelines while also not
being a re-tread. While the team hasn’t come out and overtly stated it, by the list of candidates
floated out there it seems they DO NOT want to bring in someone who has been a head coach
before. This is a gamble that takes a ton of precise calculation to know whether or not the guy
you hire has seen enough action on the sidelines to be prepared not just for the Xs-and-Os, but
also to deal with all the personalities you encounter as a head coach. With Griffin there is ZERO
guess work here as he has been doing this for 24 years now. He is undoubtedly ready to be an
NBA Head Coach.

Chris Quinn, Assistant Coach of the Miami Heat
The Resume: A six-year NBA vet who player for four different teams, Quinn got his start in
coaching in 2013 where he spent a season as an assistant coach at Northwestern University
before being brought into the Miami Heat organization in 2014. Quinn spent a season on the
bench for the Heat’s G-League team the Sioux Falls Sky Force before he moved onto Erik
Spoelstra’s bench the following season where he has remained ever since.
Chris Quinn should be the next coach of the Detroit Pistons because:
Quinn has a mixture of experience as an NBA player, extended time as an NBA assistant, and he
was also an RSCI Top 100 recruit out of high school so he understands what it is like to be a high
level player as well as an NBA journeyman. The other thing that sticks out with Quinn is the
Heat players praise of his intelligence and innovation in drawing up plays. I know many a Piston
fan have been complaining about the ‘lack of innovation’ when it comes to the offensive side of
the ball, so Quinn could be a step in that direction. With the recent success of Mark Daigneault,
Will Hardy, and Taylor Jenkins the Pistons could be looking for a similar creative offensive
coach.