Ben Sullivan should be the Lakers target as their lead offensive assistant coach
Ben Sullivan is the 35-year old assistant coach who's transformed the Milwaukee Bucks' offense into a pace and space dynamo ranked second to the Rockets on offense last season and exactly what Frank Vogel needs on his coaching staff.https://t.co/si3YSpUmsu via @businessinsider
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 25, 2019
Ben Sullivan is an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Sullivan has gone from a video intern with the San Antonio Spurs, despite having no NBA background, to a respected and praised shooting coach around the league.
Sullivan is now in a critical role with the Bucks, helping a team that shoots more three-pointers than almost anyone else in the league while working with Giannis Antetokounmpo, an MVP candidate whose one weakness is shooting.
He’s now at a fascinating intersection with the Bucks, in a pivotal role as a shooting coach. The Bucks are an offensive juggernaut who rely on the three-point shot more than almost any team in the league. And yet, they are led by an MVP candidate in Giannis Antetokounmpo who has just one weakness — he struggles shooting.
With Sullivan’s help, the Bucks have become one of the NBA’s most dynamic teams. He is trying to help bring them to the next level.
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“Ben is an assistant coach — he’s not just a Giannis coach, he’s not just a shooting coach,” Horst said. “He brings value to Bud and his staff and to our whole product … I think he’s a really good young coach that has a bright future.”
Sullivan said he’s still so astonished by making it in the NBA that he doesn’t consider his future in the league. Will he remain a shooting coach? Does he have higher ambitions? He said those thoughts sometimes pop up during offseasons, but during the season, he’s focused on his goals.
LakerTom (Publisher) 8:23 PM on June 24, 2019 Permalink
This was the second step in searching for offensive mined assistant coach that the Lakers could add to their staff as their offensive coordinator or guru. While Frank Vogel has adjusted his vision of NBA offense to embrace pace and space and an outside-in attack, his strength and that of Ron Adams is obviously defense. The search led me to this article on Ben Sullivan, a 35-year old assistant coach who started out as a video coordinator for the San Antonio Spurs 7 years ago.
In 2013-14, Sullivan accompanied Mike Budenholzer when he took over the head coaching gig with the Atlanta Hawks and then follow Coach Bud to Milwaukee and is now the Buck’s shooting coach and has been primarily responsible for revolutionizing the Bucks offense with their combination of MoreyBall and Pace and Space offense. He is also the coach who’s built a strong relationship with Antetokounmpo and helped him improve his three-point shooting.
Like they just did with the Warriors Ron Adams, the Lakers should request permission to speak to Ben Sullivan about a position on Frank Vogel’s staff as the lead offensive assistant and shooting coach. His Spurs and Bucks background and success in revamping the Bucks offense with Coach Bud make him the perfect candidate to do the same with the Lakers. Hopefully, Frank Vogel is looking at the top assistants with an offensive background and will spot Ben and make a pitch to bring him aboard.
LakerTom (Publisher) 8:33 PM on June 24, 2019 Permalink
Also nice to have a coach on the staff whom Giannis loves.
Then we won’t need to keep Jason Kidd any longer.
Ben Sullivan for offensive lead and Ron Adams for defensive lead.
havoc 9:43 AM on June 25, 2019 Permalink
The only question i see here is why would he come to the Lakers when all along he has accompanied Budenholzer wherever he went and has played a major role in how Milwaukee Offense operated..he has good relationship with Budenholzer and Giannis..it will be a mile wide long to convince him in jumping ship with the Lakers
LakerTom (Publisher) 10:04 AM on June 25, 2019 Permalink
$$$$$$$$$ and we’re the Lakers