The New York Knicks are pushing to make a key hire on their coaching staff who formerly played a major role in LeBron James’ career.
After firing Tom Thibodeau, the team went on a coaching search for almost a month before finally appointing former Coach of the Year Mike Brown.
Since being introduced as the New York Knicks‘ coach, Brown has been busy adding names to his coaching staff.
Former LA Clippers assistant coach Brendan O’Connor has also appeared as a candidate to be on Brown’s team.
Another familiar name around the NBA circles has also appeared now, and he was once LeBron James’ personal shooting coach.
Chris Jent has been an assistant in the NBA since 2003, for teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic and LA Lakers.
He was most recently also on the Charlotte Hornets that won the Summer League title with stars like Kon Knueppel.
Jent also played a key role in the career of the four-time NBA champion James, serving as his personal shooting coach.
The Kid from Akron has had struggles with his shooting in the past, and one such occasion was in the NBA Finals in 2007 against the San Antonio Spurs.
James shot below 25% from three-point range, which proved to be one of the reasons behind their 4-0 sweep in the Finals.
Post the Finals, James worked with Jent on his shooting and things started to get significantly better for him.
Jent was part of the Cavs coaching staff, and worked under Mike Brown, but he soon became James’ personal shooting coach and revealed what it was like to work with the all-time leading point scorer.
He said: “It was a great time, a great time for me as a coach, to learn and to be with a player that’s so smart and calculated — you had to be on your toes.”
Jent is now set to be the offensive coordinator of the Knicks team that went to the Conference Finals last season.
The hire of Brown was heavily discussed and while many had their own opinions about him, there is no doubting his abilities as a head coach.
He helped the Sacramento Kings to the playoffs after a 16-year absence and even helped them push the Golden State Warriors to seven games in the first round.
Their free agency signings of Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele are also brilliant as they can both come off the bench to add dynamism to the roster.
Meanwhile, they are also making great additions to their coaching staff, as Jent is someone who has the respect around the league.
If all their players are able to produce great performances throughout the season and health remains good, the Knicks could be the team to beat in the East.
