Chicago Bulls fans always have to take a double take when they read the name Jim Boylen. After all, they all witnessed the horrific coaching interim job Jim Boylan did for the Bulls after Scott Skiles was fired. No. This is another Jim Boylen, name spelled a bit differently.
The Bulls hired Boylen as an associate head coach shortly after hiring Fred Hoiberg. It seems Gar Forman and John Paxson are doing their best to replicate the blueprints the Warriors used to build their championship team. Not only Fred Hoiberg and Steve Kerr have similar style of coaching, but both coaches hired an associate head coach; which is higher than assistant head coach.
Associate head coach generally has the full responsibility of one end of the court. Alvin Gentry was responsible for the Warriors offense when he was the associate head coach. Jim Boylen was brought on board to coach the defensive side. He was mentored by none other than the great Greg Popovich and Rudy Tomjanovich. Boylen has said he’ll run the same defensive sets as he did with the Rockets during their back-to-back championship run in the 90s. Greg Popovich has a knack for hiring great coaches. Mike Budenholzer is the most recent success story coming out of the Spurs coaching staff. He led the unlikely Atlanta Hawks to the best record in the East and making their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 1970. Becky Hammon will probably be another success story as she’s the first female assistant coach in the history of the NBA, and she just so happened to win the Summer League championship in her first coaching run. Jim Boylen could be the next success story coming out of the Spurs locker room.
What makes Jim Boylen a rare gem in the NBA? Well, his defensive mind is well documented by Gregg Popovich’s praise. That’s what makes him special, but there is one more thing that makes him rare. It’s not often a defensive minded coach is listed as one of the best shooting coaches at the same time. Usually, coaches like to stick to one side of the court; you don’t have to tell that to Tom Thibodeau. However, he joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2013; Boylen was hired as a defensive guru and a shooting coach. Since his addition, the players on the team shot exceptionally well compared to years past, and their defense never skipped a beat.
Fred Hoiberg and Jim Boylen feel like a match made in heaven, at least on paper they do. While we know Hoiberg is the offensive guru while Boylen will stick to defense, Boylen playing the role as a shooting coach will help Hoiberg so much more. Hoiberg’s entire offensive scheme is surronded by the phrase “Advanced Analytics” which basically means gunslinging 3-point shots throughout the game. Boylen would be the perfect coach to help teach these shooters how to shoot, espeically since most of them were never taught proper offensive under Tom Thibodeau.
It will be a fun and different look for the Bulls this upcoming season, and they hope Jim Boylen is another success story coming out of San Antonio.
