Juwan Howard returns to NBA for new gig after firing at Michigan

One month after being fired at his alma mater, Michigan, after five seasons as head coach, Juwan Howard makes his grand return to the NBA — this time as an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets.

Before his time leading Michigan, Howard spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the Miami Heat under Erik Spoelstra. He helped the organization in the aftermath of LeBron James and the break-up of their big three. He now joins the staff of the Nets after they hired Jordi Fernandez as the team's next head coach.

Not all of Howard's time was as bad as last season when the team went 8-24 and missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the second season in a row. But before that, he led the Wolverines to a Sweet 16 and an Elite Eight. He had the opportunity to coach his sons, Jett and Jace, leaving Michigan with an overall record of 87-72. Howard also was named the Big 10 Coach of the Year in 2021, leading the Wolverines to the No. 1 seed.

Earlier, during his time at Ann Arbor, he was approached for some NBA head-coaching openings with teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, but he chose to stay with Michigan. He was recently involved in some controversy after being accused of cultivating a "culture of fear" in Michigan. When that controversy and the losing record came about, it was the right time for Michigan to fire him.

But now Howard will be joining Fernandez and his staff in Brooklyn with the hopes of getting the organization back to its winning ways after missing the postseason and finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference. Alongside Howard, Steve Hetzel is also joining the staff from the Portland Trail Blazers where he was an assistant for the last three seasons.

During his introductory presser on Wednsesday, Fernandez was vocal about how competitive he wants his team to be from the start. Its likely that Howard will fit in just fine with that mentality.

"We will see results right away — this industry is about getting results and getting better,” Fernandez said. "So how much are you gonna get better? It's how we believe the process is important.”