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00:00 Yeah, so you know, like
00:05 summer's obviously the best time, buddy, and you know, you do a different way.
00:28 The biggest way is just film work.
00:30 And so, you know, we also we meet with the analytics group a lot more during the summer,
00:36 you know, because you have more time.
00:39 I staffed a study from, you know, basically like break down the NBA game, what wins particular playoffs, you know,
00:48 so we just make sure that we have the best possible plan, at least going in.
00:52 Right. And so there's a few things.
00:55 I mean, one, we did make, you know, good progress, really, in all aspects of play.
01:04 When we had certain guys on the floor, you know, so before down, you know, we had a set of games where we were playing better,
01:13 you know, and I'm going to get I've given this to you guys before.
01:16 But when people talk about Mello's defense, you know, before we had a stretch, it was 200 minutes of play,
01:28 but it was with Mark, with PJ, I think with Terry and then anybody else.
01:35 And they were second in the NBA, you know, which goes to how much progress he had made,
01:41 you know, with the defense, defense, pick defense, all of those things.
01:47 So that part of it, things like, you know, our team is made to run.
01:54 We need to run, you know, and we ran last year.
01:56 You know, we were, I believe, seventh in pace, but we were like twenty seventh in transition points per possession.
02:07 So did play fast, but we didn't shots or we weren't efficient when we played fast, you know.
02:14 So that is something that we spent a lot of time talking about planning and hopefully we can improve it here in training camp.
02:21 You know, basketball, the one thing that is our game has changed, stayed the same is offensive efficiency starts with the ball hitting the.
02:31 Never changed.
02:33 So like, for instance, we were third in getting the ball to the rim.
02:39 We were like twenty seven, the eighth in efficiency when the ball got there.
02:43 So those are things that coaching stand, you know, we had different emphasis, different things with different.
02:50 We spent a lot of on that our individual defense, which in the first like 30 games of the year, you know, we got rocked off the dribble.
03:00 And if you can't guard the ball in this league right now, like five out for a win and you're screwed, you can have great pick and roll coverages.
03:07 You can do what if you can't guard the ball in today's NBA and you know, you're not going to be able to stop Donchitz one on one Durant one.
03:16 But you can't get off the dribble all the time.
03:20 I've games we did the last year, a couple of guys like the two guys stand out sickly were Terry and PJ were there on both.
03:29 And it was really, really good.
03:32 And, you know, they put a lot of time into it when we did drills like that in practice.
03:36 They had great concentration, great intensity, and it showed.
03:40 So there were a lot of things like that that were good.
03:43 There are other things we got to screen better.
03:47 We got to be better with the rim protection, which, again, from the time that in the games that Mark played with Nick, the combination of those two guys, we were better.
03:57 So that was a big part of the offseason.
04:01 You said how much?
04:04 Good.
04:07 See, so I said, is there anybody that stood out with a summer?
04:12 Yeah, and you know what?
04:16 This isn't usually like what people want to hear, but two guys who just we went from the summer and then we did the optional workouts in September and the two guys that just killed it in September,
04:27 which is a result of what they did all summer were Gordon and Terry.
04:31 You know, Gordon is coming off a summer.
04:33 This is the first time since he was here that he hasn't had to rehab in the summer.
04:39 This was all about, you know, once they all take a break, this was all about just getting his game together, getting his body together.
04:47 He wasn't having to do you know, he does treatment, you know, just because, again, he's played so many games in his career, but he looks great.
04:55 You can tell he's a good place mentally.
04:57 Terry, you know, as you know, he lives in Miami in the summer, loves Miami.
05:05 And traditionally, he's come back like the weekend before, you know, last year, what he did when we did the optional workouts, he would actually fly up, do the workouts, fly back this year when I called him.
05:17 Well, I went down and talked to him once and then I called him, just said, like, hey, listen, you know, again, it'll be important for you to be there because I'm coming back a month early.
05:25 So he moved back here in September and he too, he's in great shape.
05:29 He's in a great place.
05:31 So we have a number of younger players who like I'm super happy with, but I think a lot of times, you know, people, you know, like people talk about player development or this or that.
05:41 Listen, there's no age at which guys shouldn't stop getting better.
05:46 You know, if you want to go back to when I was here before, I think Al Jefferson was 29 or 30.
05:52 He was 13 all NBA, the best year of his career.
05:55 Marvin Williams had his best year.
05:57 Nick Batum had his, but those guys were older guys.
05:59 That's how you went to.
06:00 It's not just the 22 year olds.
06:03 You know, the better players like like when you're around Durant or what he was, you know, they get better every year.
06:11 And so a lot of the younger guys got better.
06:14 But those two guys really had great summer, great off seasons.
06:21 But Miles, just what's your plan?
06:24 Get it going, make sure it's great.
06:31 No, it's a tricky one for sure.
06:36 You know, I've been through this twice with guys, you know, once here and then once on another place, and it's hard.
06:45 You know, one of the things that that we will do here is, you know, we don't do a lot of like drills and stuff in training camp to start people that are surprised by that.
06:58 You know, the Van Gundy way was always scrimmage, you know, better for intensity, better for concentration.
07:05 They like it more.
07:07 We bring refs in even tomorrow.
07:08 You know, we'll play a couple of quarters.
07:10 I just bring refs in there, put them in teams and let them go.
07:14 And so for him, that'll be good.
07:16 And what it'll also do is give us a chance to look at different combinations and, you know, who's playing with who.
07:24 Because we also we've also got to figure out, obviously, what we're going to do for the first 10 games.
07:32 And that's all going to play out in this next 22 days.
07:38 You've been traditionally a conservative defensive coach, drop coverage, even with Dwight Howard.
07:43 But last season, you talked about being a little more aggressive and approaching the level of the screen.
07:49 What have you seen from Mark Williams last season and kind of just projecting whether or not he has that capability to kind of take a little bit more personal in terms of coverage?
07:59 Yeah, he I mean, you know, so our plan last year over the over the all star break was that we were going to play more zone.
08:10 You know, I wanted to look at that as something that could be a secondary type defense for us.
08:17 And you're right, like in the high pick and rolls, like I've been more conservative overall since I've been a head coach, even when I was here before.
08:25 We were always like top five or six in double teaming pick and roll.
08:29 So we've always been super aggressive on the sides, just not as much up high with he and Nick.
08:35 We came back, we played a couple of games right after the all star break, but we wanted to be aggressive with and blitz more up high.
08:41 And we did and they were good at it.
08:43 So is this the last 20?
08:45 Well, whatever it was after the all star break, you know, we double teamed a lot out of everything.
08:50 And he was he's got a feel for it.
08:53 He's got a knack for it.
08:54 He's got really good lateral quickness.
08:56 And as much as anything, he's smart.
08:58 Nick is the same way.
09:00 Nick can really move for a man his size.
09:02 And so one of the reasons we played better defensively, our principles were better, right?
09:09 We controlled the ball better, but it was just being more aggressive than pick and roll coverages.
09:15 So how do you balance winning?
09:21 Um. Well, I mean, you know, I think that's every team every year.
09:28 You know what I mean?
09:29 Like, listen, when you talk to coaches, right, is player development has become this.
09:35 You know what everybody look, player development is nothing new.
09:39 My dad was a great high school coach.
09:40 He was doing player development 50 years ago.
09:43 I mean, every sport, every coach has become this thing where when somebody doesn't pin up, they say he's not good at player development.
09:50 That's why I say player development is not just the young guys, you know, and there's a lot of stuff that goes into that.
09:57 But this is it's just become this theme of player development.
10:01 Nobody's ever been a good coach with the players that play under them don't get better.
10:05 And frankly, if you had to ask me, what's the number one thing that happens in places where players get better?
10:14 You know what it is?
10:15 It's not a drill.
10:17 It's not this individual workout guy.
10:19 It's the overall environment of your team.
10:22 If you have a serious minded team with pro players where they practice hard and well every day and the younger guys have to do that, they get better.
10:32 You know, one of the things that people don't understand about basketball is this is people view player development as skill development.
10:42 Oh, he shoots better.
10:44 You know, he can play off the dribble better.
10:45 It's a small, small part of it.
10:47 You know, the biggest part in our league of player development for the younger guys is how does the team function when you're on the floor?
10:54 The biggest difference between college and the NBA is execution.
10:59 And it's not a coaching thing, obviously.
11:01 College is phenomenal.
11:03 College play coaches.
11:05 But in our league, when you get playing guys are twenty six, twenty seven, twenty eight years old.
11:09 We run more offense.
11:10 We play more different defenses and the execution is much higher.
11:15 So that's the stuff that the younger players have to learn.
11:19 It's hard for them.
11:21 And I'll be honest with you, because I'm interjected.
11:23 It's one of the reasons I'm so excited about Randon Miller.
11:26 You watch him play his IQ, his ability to pay attention, learn and do stuff right away without all this extra repetition is one of the quickest learners so far I've ever been around in 20 plus years.
11:41 And you can see it in the in the September workouts where we're limited.
11:45 But I've already had a number of the older guys come over and say, look, you know, he's going to help us like right away because of those things.
11:52 So, you know, people will say different things, you know, like I'm also, as you may know, when people say they can't get better if they don't play, totally disagree.
12:04 It's not minutes played.
12:05 It's minutes earned, in my opinion.
12:07 You know, I can't tell you how many agents over the years have told me one of the reasons my guy hasn't grown the way he should have is since they drafted him first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth.
12:19 He knew he was going to get to play, whether he tried hard, played poorly, whatever.
12:23 I think it's the worst thing you can do for players.
12:26 You want to make sure they're in a place, a la Miami, where you get the minutes that you've earned.
12:31 And I think that's important for player development also.
12:35 [INAUDIBLE]
12:49 Yeah, you know what, I think it's and obviously like, look, you know, Mitch, Mitch and Buzz and the scouts, they watched them a lot more than I did, you know, because they watched them all year.
12:59 But I mean, when you watch them in college, he's a throwback player for all the because the guys are coming out so early now, the IQ part is harder and harder to find, frankly.
13:14 You know, the guys are younger.
13:16 We're living in a basketball world now with AAU where they're not with their high school coaches as much.
13:22 You know, a lot of them aren't as fundamentally sound.
13:25 They don't know how to practice as well.
13:27 See, he did play for a great college coach and he knows how to practice and he knows how to work.
13:33 You know, he comes from a family where his dad played football in Alabama.
13:37 I'm sure that was a part of it for him because he's far advanced to me of the guy I've been around in the last few years in terms of that.
13:48 So, no, he's you're going to go right away.
13:51 I mean, size, he knows how to play.
13:54 He can really plays at both ends of the floor.
13:57 Mentioned.
14:01 You guys have a lot of different lineups, which you'll be able to utilize.
14:08 You feel like that maybe makes you a little bit less dependent.
14:12 I mean, you can't suffer injuries and have success, but that means that you're less dependent because of the roster.
14:20 I can feel it.
14:24 Yeah, I see the injury thing in basketball is always this right, because just because there's only guys out there at a time.
14:31 You just can't do best players, not just the way it is like, you know, no, if you go back, you know, through any team like no team plays well when they lose their best players, you know, in any game.
14:49 My dad always used to say this is at any point in any game, whichever team has the best on the floor, they have a decided advantage.
14:58 So I don't care how much depth if you lose your best player, your second best player, it's hard to over.
15:04 You need depth.
15:06 We have depth, you know, whatever.
15:09 We'll have to develop it, you know, as we go.
15:12 But the thing is always it's who's injured, you know, and you get you on guys.
15:18 You're going to be in trouble.
15:19 I'll say this, I just told the guys this and I told this this morning, so this will be this is 20 something years for me in the NBA, but it's my 10th year as a head coach, right?
15:42 This talent.
15:45 OK, so if you go down through the teams I've coached, I've coached a lot of teams that were pretty good, you know, or good or whatever.
15:53 I've never really I don't think I've ever been the head coach of it was picked to be I or anything like that.
16:00 We're young, but to me, this is the most talent in my beverages as a head coach.
16:06 Now, everything is about attitude, about how old, you know, the last time the Hornets up this morning because I talked to the guys about the Hornets played in the playoff series.
16:19 We lost to Miami and Ames, right?
16:22 And that team won 48 and we were tied for for third and just pure talent.
16:28 We have more talent now than we did on that team.
16:32 Now, we're and I wouldn't right now a to start season we were because that was, you know, Kembo at my time, but to prime court, you know, we had Lynn had a great year that year.
16:48 So to start the season, we may not be as good as guys were, but if we'll work and we have the right attitude and we can handle tough times and all that,
16:57 and we get miles back, we fill those 10 games and we can integrate him in the right, we have a ton.
17:04 Now, the East is better for sure, but it's like anything is you've got to have a way to you can in my mind,
17:12 where if we'll do stuff, we can both offense, defense and rebounding.
17:17 And even though we're young, there's no rule that says you mean Steph and Clay and dream on one day when they were young.
17:23 You know, there's no age rule. You know, you don't get less points because you're younger or anything like that.
17:28 You just have to play better. You know, and I love it. And I love they were they were in September.
17:34 And I think Gordon are ready to roll. I feel great in terms of our town.
17:44 I feel like we're all for us. And like only in theory or got there,
17:59 we just as far as we're just losing that.
18:04 Yeah, I think I think both Terry and Gordon places like with their games, I think physically and mentally.
18:14 I think that Mello is ready to take a step in that way.
18:18 He played thirty five games when you act in the summer where you can go slower and watch.
18:25 Listen, he was really good progress in ways, you know, with his pick and roll game,
18:29 which is critical for us and with his defense and everything, management, all of it.
18:37 You know, else for sure. I see some who have a good on this team every way, just watching a lot of films from two.
18:48 So I think that I think that our, you know, what I say, what's in the NBA, it's how many guys put above their individual numbers.
18:59 That's how you get good chemistry, you know, and that we have a bunch of guys who are in that.
19:06 Grow the way right way, then the leadership part of take care of.
19:10 Oh, he's got. Yes.
19:24 Oh, I think our goal should be healthy, you know, I mean, I just told them that right now,
19:30 I think what they need to be thinking about, though, I think that's the biggest goal.
19:35 Just talk to the guys about is this start tomorrow.
19:38 What are we doing with the next two days? That's it.
19:42 It's our attitude. What can we get good at?
19:45 You know, the way it is now, as Rod, you know, where, you know, once the season starts, practices, it's not like it used to be.
19:53 You know, back is played. We practiced. Lost him in five on five.
19:58 We don't do that anymore. We don't play back to backs.
20:01 You don't have as many days. We got two days in between games.
20:04 You know, it's just different with practice. Right.
20:06 So the main part of practice and habits and getting your intensity right is this next 22 days.
20:13 And if we knock it out, then we'll be in a good place and then we can grow from there.
20:20 Two quick things. One is how steeped up, which you say.
20:27 Yeah, you know, I know you saw the statement that went out, so I think we're just, you know,
20:33 comment and just, you know, go with the statement.
20:36 But it's a lot of just that level of talent.
20:46 This is a major break. I mean, I guess in some ways, I mean, I know this.
20:59 You want to be. I understand totally what you think, what you want to be is this.
21:05 I'm going to give you a quick sidebar. So in Orlando, one of my tours growing up was Brendan Malone.
21:12 Right. Who was, you know, I used to work camp when I was a kid.
21:17 Actually, Michael Malone, which you may know when I was Michael's like a sixth grader, Brendan, I should put him on my team.
21:24 But I had to do with my hair, you know, a school coach, coach, all helping me get up.
21:31 And then of the things that back of my career that I treasure is working on the staff for standing with Coach Malone.
21:42 So anyway, we're on a West Coast trip in San Francisco eating breakfast.
21:46 And there was a newspaper story about how this young football coach had gone to the school where they'd been terrible
21:53 for years and he came in with all this enthusiasm as a minute, turn it around and they made the playoffs.
21:59 And the title was he was the right man for the job.
22:03 And I had the sports page, obviously, and he had the policy, you know, something more in depth.
22:08 So I'm like, coach, because I knew he lost. Coach Malone, I believe he said to me, he goes, you know, Steve.
22:16 If we were smart, that should be the goal every to be the guy for your team here, players every year.
22:25 Listen, we all do. You know, it's just that, you know, when in what I do, there's a record of your high school social teacher.
22:34 You might have three terrible years. Nobody knows.
22:38 Just saying you're still giving like different jobs on automatic pilot.
22:44 You got something going on life. For me, there's a record and that's got a better life than I do.
22:50 My whole thing this year is what I want to do. I've thought about it.
22:54 I want to be the perfect a great coach for this group.
22:57 I like these guys. Respect for the way they hung in there last year.
23:02 Listen, those these guys could have these guys could have quit last year.
23:06 And then actually, not only did we play in, but they worked harder in practice and they got better in that way.
23:13 A real affection for Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Nick Richards, you know, JT Thorpe.
23:22 Hello, PJ. OK, and I want to be I want to be a good coach for them this year and take this step wherever it ends up of us taking a big step
23:35 towards getting the horns back to where we can be. Steve, we all know how much you love Terry Martin.
23:44 How he's a good guy. I guess you mentioned the other day that he's going to start a new position.
23:54 Is that still from the same injury beginning of last season? Yeah. So he's going to be rehabbing.
24:05 And he does. He's back on the floor right now, you know, doing individual work.
24:10 So it's a it's a continuation of that injury where, you know, sometimes you're coming back, you know, you have setbacks.
24:17 It's this that is a neat thing. So there have been some issues, but he does feel good.
24:23 And, you know, we just got to wait and see where it goes, Steve. I mean, hopefully he's a big piece for us.
24:28 I can't lie like he brings a lot to a team. There aren't many guys like him anymore.
24:36 And nobody you guys know, nobody, nobody wants to be out there more than he does.
24:41 So hopefully, you know, that'll work out. I think it's more just day to day, you know, like, you know, he you know,
24:53 but he's he's been up on the floor again lately and at the end of last week, he comes in early because the optional workouts,
25:00 which he couldn't do. But, you know, he was he was moving around pretty good.
25:09 Good. Thank you.
25:10 - Thank you.