The Whiteboard: Great NBA players make bad NBA coaches

By Ti Windisch | Sep 28, 2018

MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 10: Head coach Jason Kidd of the Milwaukee Bucks stands on the court in the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at BMO Harris Bradley Center on April 10, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Star NBA players are great on the floor, but typically not so great when they’re at the head of the bench.

One of the most important skills for an NBA coach to have is their ability to get the most out of their players. Schemes and plays and all of those things are great, but the best teams tend to feature a culture that pretty much everybody has bought in to.

That particular aspect of NBA head coaching is a big part of my theory that star NBA players almost always make for bad NBA coaches. Stars, it seems, have trouble getting the most out of all of the players on their rosters when they make the move to coaching.

In a way, that makes perfect sense. Truly great players oftentimes see the game at a higher level instinctively than the average NBA player. Some of that ability just can’t be taught — no matter how hard he tried, Jason Kidd could not turn Michael Carter-Williams into a positive contributor on the Milwaukee Bucks.

Kidd, Wes Unseld, Elgin Baylor and Isiah Thomas were all some of the best NBA players to ever grace the Association. Those four were also some of the worst coaches ever in the league, with Unseld and Baylor never leading a team to a winning season and Thomas and Kidd pretty clearly not getting the most out of their squads.

On the other hand, legendary coaches like Phil Jackson, Pat Riley and Don Nelson played in the NBA for years without any of them ever getting an All-Star nod. Players like Michael Jordan are going to have an oversized impact on the league pretty much regardless of specific coaching things, but the Steve Kerrs of the world might need a little more coaching to be ready when they’re needed.

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