The Detroit Pistons introduced at the moment that Luke Walton, Sidney Lowe, Fred Vinson, Vitaly Potapenko, Kevin Burleson, Jerome Allen and Josh Estes have been named assistant coaches to go coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s teaching workers. Moreover, Jarett Jack and Steve Scalzi have been retained as assistant coaches.
Walton involves Detroit after spending the final two seasons in Cleveland on Bickerstaff’s workers. Earlier than Cleveland, Walton spent three seasons as the top coach of the Sacramento Kings (2019-2022). Previous to main the Kings, Walton was the top coach of the Los Angeles Lakers from 2016-2019, the place he improved the staff’s win complete in every of these seasons, together with consecutive nine-game enhancements in his first two seasons with the staff (2016-17, 2017-18).
Previous to becoming a member of the Lakers, Walton was an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors from 2014–16, reaching the NBA Finals each years and successful the NBA Championship in 2015. He was named Western Convention Coach of the Month (October/November 2015) whereas serving as interim head coach within the absence of Steve Kerr, main Golden State to a 39–4 begin in 2015–16, together with successful the primary 24 video games, an NBA report. Walton additionally served as participant improvement coach for the South Bay Lakers, the Lakers’ NBA G League affiliate, in 2013–14.
Walton performed 10 NBA seasons with the Lakers and Cavaliers. He was the thirty second general decide within the 2003 NBA Draft by the Lakers and was a member of back-to-back NBA Championship groups in 2009 and 2010. Earlier than his skilled profession, he performed collegiately on the College of Arizona, the place he was twice named an All-Pac-10 performer.
Walton is the son of the late NBA legend and Naismith Memorial Basketball Corridor of Famer Invoice Walton.
Lowe returns to Detroit for his third stint, the second as an assistant coach, after spending the earlier three seasons as an assistant coach in Cleveland underneath Bickerstaff.
The Washington, D.C. native and former NBA level guard started his teaching profession with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1992, as an assistant coach underneath head coach Jimmy Rodgers. He was promoted to go coach halfway via the 1992-93 season and remained in that place till the 1993-94 season. After 5 years as an assistant with Cleveland (1994-99) and one 12 months with Minnesota (1999-2000), Lowe was named head coach of the Vancouver Grizzlies in 2000 and remained on the helm till 2002-03. He was the first assistant to go coach Flip Saunders in Detroit in the course of the 2005-06 season because the staff superior to the Jap Convention Finals.
Lowe served as the top coach at his alma mater, North Carolina State (2006–11), the place he grew to become the third coach at school historical past to win 20 video games in his first season, defeating North Carolina’s three different ACC establishments (North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest). Following his time as coach at NC State, Lowe returned to the NBA, spending three seasons as an assistant with the Utah Jazz (2011–14) and two with the Washington Wizards (2016–18).
Lowe was chosen by the Chicago Bulls within the second spherical (twenty fifth general) of the 1983 NBA Draft and performed 4 seasons with Indiana, Detroit, Atlanta, Charlotte and Minnesota. He additionally performed within the Continental Basketball Affiliation, main the Albany Patroons and Tampa Bay Thrillers to CBA titles. Lowe performed his faculty basketball underneath the late Jim Valvano at North Carolina State, incomes Last 4 All-Event honors whereas serving to lead the Wolfpack to the 1983 NCAA championship.
Vinson joins the Pistons as an assistant coach after serving in the identical position in New Orleans for the earlier 14 seasons.
Vinson led the Pelicans to 4 playoff appearances (one because the New Orleans Hornets) and was the Pelicans’ 2019 NBA Summer time League Head Coach in Las Vegas. A famend taking pictures coach, Vinson has helped the Pelicans to a top-11 3-point taking pictures proportion six occasions, together with a fourth-best 38.3% within the NBA in 2023-24.
Previous to becoming a member of the Pelicans, Vinson was an assistant coach with the LA Clippers from 2007 to 2010. He additionally served because the membership’s director of participant packages, the place he was chargeable for guiding younger gamers via their transition to the NBA.
Vinson performed 13 seasons {of professional} basketball, together with two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and Seattle SuperSonics. He additionally performed in the US Basketball League, Continental Basketball Affiliation, American Basketball Affiliation, and for skilled golf equipment within the Philippines, Israel, Venezuela, Poland, and France. In 2003, Vinson was a member of the CBA Champion Yakima Solar Kings and was named a CBA All-Star that season.
Vinson performed collegiately at Georgia Tech and was a three-year letterman for the Yellow Jackets. He additionally attended Chowan Junior School (North Carolina).
Potapenko joins the Pistons after six seasons as an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Earlier than becoming a member of the Grizzlies in 2018-19, Potapenko served 5 seasons (2013-18) as assistant director of participant improvement for the Cleveland Cavaliers, winners of the 2016 NBA championship. Along with his position as an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers (2010-11), Potapenko performed within the NBA G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors (2012-13), Dakota Wizards (2011-12) and Fort Wayne Mad Ants (209-10).
Potapenko, chosen twelfth general within the 1996 NBA Draft, performed in 610 video games (189 as a starter) for Boston, Cleveland, Seattle and Sacramento.
Born in Kiev, Ukraine, Potapenko started his skilled profession in Ukraine earlier than coming to the NBA and successful two Ukrainian championships with Budivelnyk. Potapenko performed two seasons at Wright State College, the place he was twice named All-Midwestern Collegiate Convention (1995, 1996) and is a member of the college’s Corridor of Fame.
Burleson involves Detroit as an assistant coach after serving as the top coach of the Houston Rockets’ NBA G League membership, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, for the previous two seasons.
Beforehand, Burleson spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves, following a stint as assistant/participant improvement coach with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2018-19. In 2017-18, Burleson served as affiliate head coach for the Iowa Wolves, the Timberwolves’ NBA G League affiliate, and was a participant improvement coach for the Houston Rockets for 3 seasons (2014-17).
Burleson performed 4 years collegiately on the College of Minnesota. He performed two seasons in Germany earlier than showing in 39 video games for the Charlotte Bobcats in the course of the 2005–06 season. He later competed professionally within the NBA G League, Turkey, Romania and Egypt, successful the Romanian League Championship with CSU Asesoft Ploiesti in 2010.
Allen returns to the Pistons for his second stint as an assistant coach. He beforehand served on Dwane Casey’s workers from 2021-23 and was a professional personnel scout for the Boston Celtics in the course of the 2023-24 season.
Earlier than his first job in Detroit, Allen spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the Celtics. He spent the earlier 5 years as head coach on the College of Pennsylvania, following a one-year stint as interim head coach at Penn.
Born in Philadelphia, PA, Allen performed faculty at Penn and was a two-time Ivy League Participant of the 12 months. A four-year starter, he led the Quakers to Ivy League titles in every of his ultimate three seasons. Drafted forty ninth general within the 1995 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, he performed in 117 profession NBA video games with Minnesota, Indiana and Denver. He additionally performed professionally in Europe, together with France, Italy, Greece, Spain and Turkey.
Estes joins the Pistons as an assistant coach after spending the earlier 4 seasons (2020-24) as a training analyst and analytics coordinator in Cleveland underneath Bickerstaff. He started his teaching profession as an assistant coach at Amherst School in 2019-20, the place the Mammoths went 18-8 and reached a semifinal look within the New England Small School Athletic Convention Championship. Estes spent the 2023 Canadian Elite Basketball League season as an assistant coach for the Brampton Honey Badgers.