DeSagana Diop heads to Knicks, Rockets to have three new assistant coaches

The Houston Rockets are about to have plenty of new assistant coaches behind Stephen Silas. A little over a week after the departures of assistants Jeff Hornacek and Will Weaver were announced, it’s now being reported that Houston big man coach and former NBA player DeSagana Diop will be coaching in the New York Knicks organization this season, according to Marc Stein.

That means that with the exception of John Lucas, who will be hanging around, and head coach Stephen Silas, the Rockets will have almost an all-new coaching staff. No word yet on who will be replacing the three departed coaches, but as we mentioned before, one of the leading candidates is Rio Grande Valley Vipers head coach and G-League Coach of the Year Mahmoud Abdelfattah. He led the Vipers to a 24-10 record this past season and the G-League title, while also helping lead them to a title in 2019 as an assistant.

Keeping Lucas in the fold is key move, as he’s developed tight relationships with many of Houston’s young guys as their player development coach and is a main voice in the locker room, but it will be interesting to see who else the Rockets bring into the fold.

With three slots open, other than Abdelfattah, who else would you like to see as an assistant? Tell us in the comments!