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Chet Holmgren is set to be one of the future faces of the league, so in Oklahoma City, we’re doing what we can to surround him well. With this in mind, a former coach of Tony Parker has just been signed. The idea is far from bad!
If the Thunder made a nice move by recovering Chet Holmgren in the draft, expectations of the team have not changed. Mark Daigneault’s squad is still very young, and if the pivot will form a promising triplet with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort in 2022-23, it is clearly not a guarantee in terms of victories. The franchise should therefore continue to squat the slums of the Western Conference.
On the other hand, it also gives young players time to develop, something Oklahoma City specializes in. The progress should be even more dazzling in the coming months, given that the front office has managed to bring a big name to the bench. Chip Engelland thus arrives after nearly two decades on the side of San Antonio, he who has helped many great players to perfect their shoot. Adrian Wojnarowski recently revealed the signature:
Shooting coach Chip Engelland arrives at the Thunder
ESPN Sources: The Oklahoma City Thunder are hiring Chip Engelland as an assistant coach. Engelland, considered the NBA’s preeminent shooting coach, spent 17 years with the Spurs where he’s considered to have had an immense impact on Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, among others.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 27, 2022
According to ESPN sources, the Oklahoma City Thunder have hired Chip Engelland as an assistant coach. Engelland, considered the NBA’s quintessential shooting coach, spent 17 years with the Spurs where he is credited with having an immense impact on Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, among others.
Eager to live a new adventure outside of Texas, the interested party however had recourse to the network of leaders passed by there. Indeed, he and GM Sam Presti know each other well, the latter having worked for the Spurs in his early days. The connection was therefore already there between the two men. The move is in any case very well seen, because OKC was the worst NBA team last year behind the arc, with only 32.3% three-point success.
However, where his arrival might prove most useful is when it comes to Chet Holmgren. The pivot is considered a real unicorn, already technically very developed to compensate for his rather frail physique. His shoot is notably much more developed than most interiors of his age. With Engelland’s input, he could turn it into a near-nuclear weapon to knock out opposing rackets.
The Thunder absolutely want to make Chet Holmgren the best player there is, and continuing to make him work on his shot seems like a very good idea in that regard. Chip Engelland has done a good job with Tony Parker in particular, so there is reason to be optimistic.