NBA coaching carousel: Will Weaver is the NBA’s best-kept secret
The criticisms of Weaver’s coaching
I’m going to preface this by saying Weaver is one of the most intelligent basketball minds I’ve ever interacted with and his intimate knowledge of the game and especially of international players is impeccable.
The criticism’s in Weaver’s coaching comes up in the substitution patterns/minutes played and in a structured system. it’s also been shown he has been unable to adapt drastically during a series.
It’s similar to the issues Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer suffers from. During the Grand Finals over the three games, the three players who averaged the most minutes in the regular season actually had a lower average during the Grand Final.
During the regular season, the three players who averaged the most minutes were Brad Newely (25.7 minutes per game), Jae’Sean Tate (27.2mintes per game), and Casper Ware Jr. (30.2 minutes per game). During the NBL Grand Final, Newely averaged 23.47 minutes per game, Tate averaged 25.98 minutes per game and Ware averaged 29.89 minutes per game.
During the (unofficial) final game of the series Weaver had nine players clock-in 10 minutes or more but no player on the team got to over 30 minutes in a 40-minute FIBA game.
This also ties into the substitution pattern. During Game1 of the Semi-Finals Sydney King’s leading scorer for the season, Casper Ware Jr., laid in a basket he needed in order to get some momentum. However, the sub was called prior to the made bucket so he went to the bench.
Ware finished the game going 3-of-14 from the field and ended up with seven points. The Kings won the game but it was a reoccurring issue that seeped into a playoff game.
As mentioned, the drop coverage was effective during the regular season but like Budenholzer it remained stable during the NBL Grand Final, which allowed Perth’s Finals MVP Bryce Cotton to sink endless amounts of mid-range jump shots.
Some of these are nitpicking and some of these are serious issues, but when you look at the NBA coaching world there are not many guys who are perfect. These issues are things that can be fixed and changed. The real opinions that matter are the players and front office(s), so what do they think of Weaver?