The Detroit Pistons introduced right this moment that Luke Walton, Sidney Lowe, Fred Vinson, Vitaly Potapenko, Kevin Burleson, Jerome Allen and Josh Estes have been named as assistant coaches to Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s teaching workers. Moreover, Jarett Jack and Steve Scalzi have been retained as assistant coaches.
Walton involves Detroit after spending the final two seasons in Cleveland on Bickerstaff’s workers. Previous to Cleveland, Walton spent three seasons as head coach of the Sacramento Kings (2019-2022). Earlier than main the Kings, Walton served as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers from 2016-2019, enhancing the group’s win complete in every of these seasons, together with consecutive nine-game enhancements in his first two seasons with the group (2016-17, 2017-18).
Earlier than becoming a member of the Lakers, Walton was an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors from 2014-16, reaching the NBA Finals each years and profitable the NBA Championship in 2015. He was named Western Convention Coach of the Month (October/November 2015) whereas serving as interim head coach in Steve Kerr’s absence and main Golden State to a 39-4 begin in 2015-16, together with profitable the primary 24 video games, an NBA document. Walton additionally served as a participant improvement coach for the South Bay Lakers, the Lakers NBA G League affiliate, in 2013-14.
Walton performed 10 NBA seasons with the Lakers and Cavaliers. He was the thirty second general decide within the 2003 NBA Draft by the Lakers and was a member of back-to-back NBA Championship groups in 2009 and 2010. Previous to his skilled profession, he performed collegiately on the College of Arizona the place he was named an All-Pac-10 performer twice.
Walton is the son of the late NBA legend and Naismith Memorial Basketball Corridor of Famer, Invoice Walton.
Lowe returns to Detroit for his third stint, second as an assistant coach, after the earlier three seasons as an assistant coach in Cleveland underneath Bickerstaff.
The Washington, D.C. native and former NBA level guard started his teaching profession with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1992, as an assistant coach underneath Head Coach Jimmy Rodgers. He was promoted to go coach halfway via the 1992-93 season and remained within the place via the 1993-94 season. Following 5 years as an assistant with Cleveland (1994-1999) and one with Minnesota (1999-2000), Lowe was named head coach of the Vancouver Grizzlies in 2000 and remained on the helm till 2002-03. He was the lead assistant to Head Coach Flip Saunders in Detroit throughout the 2005-06 season when the group superior to the Jap Convention Finals.
Lowe served as head coach at his alma mater, North Carolina State (2006-11), the place in his first season he turned the third coach in class historical past to win 20 video games and defeat the three different ACC North Carolina establishments (North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest). After teaching at NC State, Lowe returned to the NBA and spent three seasons as an assistant with the Utah Jazz (2011-2014) and two with the Washington Wizards (2016-2018).
Lowe was chosen by the Chicago Bulls within the second spherical (twenty fifth general) within the 1983 NBA Draft and performed 4 seasons with Indiana, Detroit, Atlanta, Charlotte and Minnesota. He additionally competed within the Continental Basketball Affiliation, main the Albany Patroons and Tampa Bay Thrillers to CBA titles. Lowe performed his school basketball underneath the late Jim Valvano at North Carolina State, incomes Ultimate 4 All-Event honors whereas serving to lead the Wolfpack to the 1983 NCAA Championship.
Vinson joins the Pistons as an assistant coach after serving in the identical position in New Orleans for the earlier 14 seasons.
Vinson helped the Pelicans to 4 playoff appearances (one because the New Orleans Hornets) and served because the Pelicans’ 2019 NBA Summer season League Head Coach in Las Vegas. A famend taking pictures coach, Vinson helped the Pelicans to a top-11 3-point taking pictures share six occasions, together with the fourth-highest fee within the NBA of 38.3% in 2023-24.
Previous to the Pelicans, Vinson was an assistant coach for the LA Clippers from 2007-10 and in addition served because the membership’s director of participant applications, the place he was chargeable for mentoring younger gamers of their transition to the NBA.
Vinson performed 13 seasons {of professional} basketball, together with two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and Seattle SuperSonics. Moreover, he performed in the USA Basketball League, Continental Basketball Affiliation, American Basketball Affiliation and with skilled golf equipment within the Philippines, Israel, Venezuela, Poland and France. In 2003, Vinson was a member of the CBA Champion Yakima Solar Kings and was named a CBA All-Star that season.
Vinson performed collegiately at Georgia Tech and was a three-year letterman for the Yellow Jackets. He additionally attended Chowan Junior School (North Carolina).
Potapenko joins the Pistons workers after six seasons as an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Previous to becoming a member of the Grizzlies in 2018-19, Potapenko served 5 seasons (2013-18) because the assistant director of participant improvement for the Cleveland Cavaliers, winners of the 2016 NBA Championship. Along with serving as an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers (2010-11), Potapenko had stints within the NBA G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors (2012-13), Dakota Wizards (2011-12) and Fort Wayne Mad Ants (209-10).
The twelfth general decide within the 1996 NBA Draft, Potapenko appeared in 610 video games (189 begins) with Boston, Cleveland, Seattle and Sacramento.
A local of Kyiv, Ukraine, Potapenko started his skilled profession in Ukraine earlier than coming to the NBA and received two Ukrainian Championships with Budivelnyk. Potapenko performed two seasons at Wright State College the place he was twice named All-Midwestern Collegiate Convention (1995, 1996) and is a member of the college’s corridor of fame.
Burleson involves Detroit as an assistant coach after serving as the top coach of the Houston Rockets’ NBA G League affiliate, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the final two seasons.
Beforehand, Burleson spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves after a stint as an assistant/participant improvement coach with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2018-19. In 2017-18, Burleson served because the affiliate head coach for the Iowa Wolves, the NBA’s G League affiliate of Timberwolves and spent three seasons as a participant improvement coach for the Houston Rockets (2014-2017).
Burleson performed 4 years, collegiately, on the College of Minnesota. He performed two seasons in Germany earlier than showing in 39 video games for the Charlotte Bobcats throughout the 2005-06 season. He later competed professionally within the NBA G League, Turkey, Romania and Egypt and received the Romanian League Championship with CSU Asesoft Ploiesti in 2010.
Allen rejoins the Pistons for his second stint as an assistant coach. Beforehand, he labored on Dwane Casey’s workers from 2021-23 and served as a professional personnel scout for the Boston Celtics throughout the 2023-24 season.
Previous to his first stint in Detroit, Allen spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the Celtics and served the earlier 5 years as the top coach on the College of Pennsylvania after one yr as Penn’s interim head coach.
Born in Philadelphia, PA, Allen performed collegiately at Penn and was a two-time Ivy League Participant of the yr. As a four-year starter, he led the Quakers to Ivy League titles in every of his final three seasons. He was drafted forty ninth general within the 1995 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and performed in 117 profession NBA video games with Minnesota, Indiana and Denver. He additionally performed professionally in Europe together with France, Italy, Greece, Spain and Turkey.
Estes joins the Pistons as an assistant coach after spending the earlier 4 seasons (2020-24) as a training analyst and analytics coordinator in Cleveland underneath Bickerstaff. He started his teaching profession as an assistant coach at Amherst School in 2019-20, the place the Mammoths went 18-8 and made a semifinal run within the New England Small School Athletic Convention Championship. Estes spent the 2023 Canadian Elite Basketball League season as an assistant coach for the Brampton Honey Badgers.
