The Atlanta Hawks formally introduced new head coach Lloyd Pierce at the franchise’s sparkling new practice facility this morning.
Flanked by GM Travis Schlenk, who worked with Pierce during their stint with Golden State, and Bob Rathbun, the play-by-play television announcer for the team, Pierce outlined his plan for the future of the Atlanta Hawks franchise.
Schlenk started the conference with statements about working with Pierce in the past, as well as the organization’s decision-making process in making the hire.
“Lloyd has a strong track record of being able to connect with players both on and off the court,” Schlenk said. Schlenk went on to say that the Pierce’s focus is on “developing and being able to connect with young players.”
Following Schlenk’s opening remarks, Pierce addressed the crowd and started by discussing what drew him to the Hawks head coaching job in the first place.
“The Hawks have a talented young roster,” Pierce said. “And we have a lot of opportunities in the draft to advance the organization.”
"This is a profession where if you don't have a relationship with players, it's not going to work." pic.twitter.com/QLdSEzciF6
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) May 14, 2018
Clearly, this means that there will likely be tremendous roster overhaul during Pierce’s tenure, though the team should keep some character-building veterans around to create a strong culture in Atlanta. With the news breaking that Dennis Schröder might be unhappy in his current role, Pierce might immediately have a new face of the franchise to contend with via the draft this offseason.
Pierce made no bones about being a player-focused coach. “If you don’t have relationships with players, it’s not gonna work, but when you build credibility through hard work and sweat equity, players buy in to what you want to do,” Pierce said.
Pierce continued: “When you’re trying to develop a culture, what can you control? Building habits that we can create, a defensive DNA, and teaching young players how to be competitive.”
The Hawks new coach will immediately have an opportunity to grow and learn with this young team, as he announced that he will be the coach of the team during the Utah Summer League in July.
Among current Hawks, Kent Bazemore, Mike Muscala, Isaiah Taylor and DeAndre’ Bembry all attended Pierce’s introductory presser, and the 76ers’ Robert Covington – one of Pierce’s finest success stories – was also on hand.
Hawks players Kent Bazemore, Mike Muscala, DeAndre Bembry and Isaiah Taylor in attendance for Lloyd Pierce introduction.
— Chris Vivlamore (@CVivlamoreAJC) May 14, 2018
Though losing Coach Bud was difficult for many Hawks fans to stomach, it looks as if they found an excellent young coach to help this young team learn, grow and thrive.
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According to Pierce, the Atlanta Hawks’ future is bright: “The Hawks time is ripe, we have a beautiful practice court, arena renovations are underway, and the G-League team is coming next year.”