Will Weaver has gone from NBA assistant to head coach of multiple successful basketball teams. Is Weaver the next out of left field coach for an NBA team?
Will Weaver has made some buzz in the NBA world recently as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has said on the Hoop Collective podcast that Weaver is a possible candidate for the head coaching job vacancies with the New Orleans Pelicans and the OKC Thunder.
In all likelihood, he will not get these two positions as Stan Van Gundy seems to be the Pelicans current lead candidate and OKC is still an enigma. It’s safer to go with an established previous NBA head coach in those situations, but time will tell.
His resume is impressive, after a few years as a coaching assistant in the NCAA, Weaver was hired to coach alongside Brett Brown with the Philadelphia 76ers and eventually landed under Kenny Atkinson with the Brooklyn Nets in 2016. Weaver went on to be the head coach of the Nets’ G-League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, and took them to the Finals in the 2018-19 season while winning Coach of the Year.
Weaver is currently the head coach of the Sydney Kings in the NBL (Australian league) and led the team of borderline NBA talent with Jae’Sean Tate, Casper Ware Jr., and an aging Andrew Bogut to the league’s best record (20-8) and into the NBL Grand Final. The series ended prematurely due to COVID-19 and the Perth Wildcats, who led 2-1 in a five-game series, defaulted as champions. (Perth were likely to win anyway but anything can happen)
Between all that he was also an assistant for the Australian Boomers (their national basketball program). So with all that being said, it seems like Weaver could be a lead assistant on any NBA team right now — but this all suggests that the NBA head coaches are ready to welcome Will Weaver into its exclusive club.
How does Weaver coach? What are the areas he can work on? Let’s find out.
Weaver’s system
How Weaver has been so successful in his two years as a head coach – in two different hemispheres is with his defense. This past NBL season the Kings were by far the best defensive team leading the league in defensive rating (3.9 better than the second-best defensively rated team).
Weaver’s bread and butter comes from turning defense into offense – the brand of basketball he runs is similar to the Warriors (which Bogut obviously influences) and Kenny Atkinson’s Nets.
It was a mixture of switching and drop coverage, having multiple rangy and athletic wings while the bigs sat in the paint worked for the regular season — leading fast break opportunities for the Kings.
Will Weaver has learned from the Brooklyn Nets analytics-based offense with Weaver’s Kings leading the league in 3-point attempts and top three in free throws attempted during the regular season. The offense wasn’t perfect, being only ranked second-last in offensive rating (only 2.5 off being fifth).
Despite that, it’s an NBA-ready offense with handoffs, cuts, and illegal screens from Bogut. By adding NBA talent and better shooting it would only amplify the current sets being used down under.
This all pay’s off into being some of the most beautiful basketball you’ll watch and is extremely effective, as Daryl Morey’s philosophy of layups, free throws, and 3’s is the way you make a team successful. As we all know the Morey-led Houston Rockets haven’t been championship successful, and Weaver hasn’t either, so what does Weaver possibly have to change?
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?
What the NBA/NBL thinks of Will Weaver
Weaver has been around the NBA long enough to know how it works, the current question is can he be the lead, the head coach of an NBA franchise and team.
His experience in the NBL was a unique one for many reasons but one particular reason was because of Mitch Creek – one of his players with the Long Island Nets also was in the NBL playing against Weaver during the year. Creek told HoopsHabit what was it like to be coached by Weaver was able to speak on what kind of coach and human Weaver is.
When asked about Weaver’s best traits are as a coach Creek responded with:
"He (Weaver) has the ability to relate to his players and be a very intelligent person, he’s a very analytics-based coach but he also lets players play to their strengths… his genuine care and love for his players and the sport with wanting to be the best team. Wanting to give our (Long Island’s) best effort, that’s what most important and the biggest thing about him."
Speaking with Weaver’s peers in the NBL, specifically in the head coaching ranks — the head coach of the Illawarra Hawks (yes LaMelo Ball’s coach) Matthew Flinn was kind enough to speak about Weaver. When asked “hypothetically if you heard Weaver was hired into an NBA team what would your response be?”
"“The best coaches instill a system that is innovative… Weaver did that in his first year, the purists would agree, he changed the NBL game quickly… I find it as no surprise that the NBA executives recognize his skills, he has a great package… analysis, good human, skill development, brings the best out of people”"
Another factor that hasn’t been overly acknowledged is the relationship between Weaver and previously Brooklyn Nets assistant general manager, and now the Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon. During the 2019 NBA Draft, the Pelicans acquired the rights from the Atlanta Hawks who selected Didi Louzada 35th overall pick.
He wasn’t going to play his first season so he was likely to end up in the G-League or as a draft and stash, Langdon who had known and trusted Weaver from his Nets days put Louzada in the care of Weaver. Langdon made the right call — Louzada turned into one of the best players on the team and a key role-player during the NBL finals. (and who has now re-signed for next season)
Weaver has proven over and over he can get the best out of teams and players as the undrafted 24-year-old Jae’Sean Tate made All-NBL first team this season. Which the Athletics’ John Hollinger alluded to on his podcast by saying Tate could be on an NBA team soon. “I think he’s a guy NBA teams look at”
It’s more of a question of ‘when’ than ‘if’ with Weaver becoming an NBA head coach, and he could easily be a lead assistant this coming NBA season. But until then Weaver is still on the market and making the NBL better for it.