5 Head coach candidates the Charlotte Hornets may consider
By Ben Brady
5. Johnnie Bryant
At just 38 years old, Bryant already has a decade of NBA coaching experience under his belt. Beginning as a player development assistant with the Utah Jazz in 2012, he was promoted to assistant coach in 2014 and served until 2020, regularly assisting the team to high-seed playoff runs. He was named associate head coach of the New York Knicks in 2020, and helped the team to its best record in ten years in 2022.
With Bryant’s experience in player development, as well as his age in comparison to the distinction between Clifford and one of the league’s youngest teams in Charlotte, he could untap the potential of the organization’s young stars.
4. Chris Quinn
Quinn has worked as an assistant under coach Erik Spoelstra in Miami since 2014 and has contributed to the team’s perennial success. Though Quinn joined the staff after LeBron James’ departure and the dissolution of the Heat’s “big three,” he has helped the organization finish .500 or above in seven out of nine seasons, including two NBA Finals appearances in 2020 and 2023 and an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2022.
Quinn has garnered interest for head coaching positions for the past few years, and has been interviewed for positions with Indiana and Washington. As coach Spoelstra’s longest-tenured assistance, his emphasis on development and consistency could shape the culture in Charlotte to something similar of Miami.