Mark Bryant will be joining the sideline for the New York Knicks as an assistant coach. Bryant joining New York was first announced by SNY. The 59-year-old has become known as one of the better big-man coaches during his lengthy time as an assistant.
The Seton Hall graduate has been part of the NBA for numerous decades. Bryant played 15 years in the league spanning from 1988-89 to 2002-03. He then became an assistant coach in the NBA, a position he has held since 2004-05 with five different teams. The Knicks will become the sixth.
Knicks Add Big Man Coach To Assistant Group
Joining A Knicks Team Still Looking For A Reserve Big Man
Bryant is joining a Knicks team with two centers currently on their roster. They are often-injured Mitchell Robinson and 2021 second-round pick Jericho Sims.
The 26-year-old Robinson has looked the part of a sometimes elite defender and one of the best offensive rebounders in the league. His problem has been an inability to stay on the court for a sustained period. He has averaged about 53 games a year over his first six seasons and played just 31 in 2023-24.
The 25-year-old Sims has received spot starts from New York over his first three seasons but hasn’t developed into a rotational piece. The Knicks have long been rumored to be bringing back free agent Precious Achiuwa. While the six-foot-eight Achiuwa is a bit undersized for the five position, he performed admirably in manning the middle for the Knicks last season.
Mark Bryant Joins The Knicks With Extensive Experience As An Assistant
Bryant’s journey as an assistant coach began back in 2004-05 with the Dallas Mavericks. He followed that up as an assistant with the Orlando Magic for two seasons. His longest stint was with the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder. He was with Seattle in 2007-08 before sitting on Oklahoma City’s bench for the following 11 seasons after the franchise moved.
For the past five seasons, he has been an assistant under head coach Monty Williams. From 2019-20 to 2022-23, that was with the Phoenix Suns. Bryant was a part of the Detroit Pistons coaching staff last season. Williams was fired by Detroit after just one season manning the bench.
Busy Day For Knicks Coaching Staff
While the addition of Bryant should help New York, it wasn’t the biggest news on Wednesday regarding Knicks coaches. Head coach Tom Thibodeau agreed on a three-year extension with the team. Terms of the deal have yet to be announced. The 66-year-old had just one year remaining on his contract prior to the extension.
Earlier in the offseason, the Knicks hired Basketball Hall of Famer Maurice Cheeks to be an assistant coach with the team. The 67-year-old Cheeks was an assistant under head coach Billy Donovan for the last nine seasons (the last four with the Chicago Bulls, the previous five with Oklahoma City). He has prior ties with Bryant as both were assistants for the Thunder for eight different seasons.
Bryant’s playing tenure saw him as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, and Boston Celtics.
