Washington Wizards Q and A: Thunder Writers Discuss Scott Brooks
By Ben Mehic
1) What are your impressions of Scott Brooks as a coach? He’s been labeled a “player’s coach.” Is that a knock on his ability?
J.A. Sherman (@WTLC):
Scott Brooks will always be recognized for his ability to develop young talent when the Thunder first moved to Oklahoma City. He helped develop Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, James Harden, Reggie Jackson, and for a time Jeff Green.
He developed the reputation as a player’s coach because he worked hard to develop deep relationships with all of the Thunder players and seldom, if ever, called them out in public.
From that standpoint, I think every quality coach is a ‘player’s coach,’ because they understand that the stars in the league have all the leverage in the world; if you don’t connect with them on a personal level, the balance in power is always going to be skewed.
The fact that Gregg Popovich is a ‘player’s coach’ is one of the biggest reasons why he is as good as he is, and is one aspect of the total coaching toolbox.
Shawn Woods (@Shawn_Woods15):
Scott Brooks got his players to play HARD for him in Oklahoma City.
The Thunder defense got better under him every year, until the ’15 season that saw some terrible luck with injuries. I think Brooks is probably in the middle of the pack in terms of coaches, which isn’t exactly sexy, but it’s definitely better than many retreads.
Next: Brooks' Unimaginative Offense