One of the more under-the-radar moves in the NBA from this past offseason was when the Oklahoma City Thunder added renowned shooting coach Chip Engelland to their coaching staff.
Engelland is known as arguably the best shooting coach in the league and spent the last 17 years with the San Antonio Spurs. Thunder general manager Sam Presti likely knows Engelland from his Spurs days.
When asked about how big of an acquisition Engelland is for Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault’s staff, Presti praised the veteran coach in his preseason presser.
“I think Chip is a really special talent and a special person. He, like anyone that is highly skilled, sees things for what they can be and not for what they are. I think he does an excellent job of building relationships that allow people to improve.
“That doesn’t mean that — improvement doesn’t happen immediately, and part of improvement means you have to make adjustments to things that you’re already doing and you’ve had a lot of success with. That’s a challenge also with a lot of the different people.
“A lot of people point to different players he’s helped over the years. But like what he did with Tiago Splitter, that didn’t happen immediately because you have to try these things, and there might be regression until you get to the point where you get to — and you need to build up enough tolerance.
“He’s going to work with a multitude of people, and I think he’s only additive to the organization. But his work is, I think, empowering the players to explore their potential, and he does it in a unique way.”
The player most people immediately linked to Engelland was Josh Giddey. Shooting is the biggest weakness for Giddey’s game and if Engelland can help him develop into an average shooter, then that is going to unlock a new level for both the Thunder offense and his potential.
