It’s been quite the Spring for Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Steve Hetzel. In early April, Fred Katz and Eric Nehm of The Athletic mentioned him in a story meant to highlight the top candidates to be first-time NBA head coaches this offseason. Earlier this week, Sam Amick, also of The Athletic, reported that Hetzel is a finalist for the lead job with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Now, there’s another team after him, perhaps with a stronger lure. In his latest Substack release [subscription required],
Jake Fischer linked Hetzel to the Portland Trail Blazer’s head coaching gig. As a bonus, beloved former Net Jared Dudley seems to be in the running as well.
“League sources say Hetzel (as well as Denver assistant Jared Dudley) is expected to draw interest from Portland if he does not get the New Orleans job,” Fischer wrote. “Hetzel spent three seasons with the Blazers before joining the Nets. And two of those seasons overlapped with Damian Lillard, who is very much poised to return to a prominent role with the organization. Sources say Lillard has indeed lobbed in some suggestions for the coaching search.”
As Fischer mentioned, the Blazers were Hetzel’s last stop before he linked up with Jordi Fernández here in Brooklyn. Most expect Portland to soon move on from Tiago Splitter, even after a season where he proved to be a spare key that fit the lock perfectly in Rip City. Splitter, who also spent four years on the Brooklyn bench, led the Blazers to a surprise playoff berth a few weeks ago, putting up a 42-40 record in the ever-competitive West.
Even if you disregard the promotional factor, it’d be hard to fault Hetzel for taking Portland job. They seem to be a few steps ahead the Nets in terms of competing after their successful startup season. Damian Lillard also waits in the wings.
