Jerry Stackhouse is not the leading coaching figure of the 2018-19 Memphis Grizzlies, but he may have made the most impact on this group.
When a team wins or loses, the person fans mostly hear about is the head coach. But what about the assistant coach? It is time to focus in on the Jerry Stackhouse, a man behind the success of the Memphis Grizzlies’ youth.
Many believed that after college, Stackhouse would go on to become the next Michael Jordan. Both Jordan and Stackhouse are North Carolina natives and both of them had tremendous collegiate careers. They were both first-round, third-overall picks in the NBA Draft.
Though Stackhouse did not go on to become the player Jordan was, his career should not be overlooked. While at North Carolina, he was Consensus First-Team All-American, First-Team All-ACC, and McDonald’s All-American MVP.
Moving on to his 18-year NBA career, Stackhouse is a two-time NBA All-Star, and also made the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1995. During these 18 years, he averaged 16.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.
Now on the Memphis Grizzlies’ sidelines, you may see a serious man in a three-piece suit, but this man Jerry Stackhouse could definitely ball during his playing days. His prime came in the early 2000s with the Detroit Pistons. During his 2000-01 season, Stackhouse averaged 29.8 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game. Though he is no longer playing, he still exhibits some of these same skillful traits in practice sessions with the Grizzlies’ youngsters.
Jerry Stackhouse has been with a few teams over the past few years as he has stepped into various coaching roles. He started with Marc Gasol‘s current team — the Toronto Raptors — in 2015 as an assistant coach. The next year, he became the head coach of the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G-League team. In his one year with the 905, Stackhouse won a championship and was awarded G-League Coach of the Year. This is no easy feat. He now, of course, resides as one of the Memphis Grizzlies’ assistant coaches.
This being said, Jerry Stackhouse’s knowledge of the game, as both a player and a coach, is and will continue to be a success for the Memphis Grizzlies. During games, you may see him quiet and reserved, but Stackhouse is observing to better these youthful Grizzlies in-between games. Fans should not be surprised if they start to see more of the Stackhouse influence on this team in the coming seasons.