Who is Chip Engelland? We look at Oklahoma City Thunder’s latest hire that is earning them plaudits
The Oklahoma City Thunder hired Chip Engelland as an assistant coach. Engelland is one of the best shooting coaches in the league and there is no doubt that his effect on the Thunder will be amazing.
The Thunder, on the other hand, have big plans for their future. No NBA team plans their long-term future better than the Thunder. They remain focused on obtaining draft picks and developing them for the future.
The latest acquisition is going to help the Oklahoma City Thunder a lot as Chip Engelland has a lot of experience and has helped a lot of players during his career.
In this article, we will take a detailed look at Engelland and everything he's done in his basketball career.
Chip Engelland has a lot of experience
The veteran coach was a big part of the San Antonio Spurs and if it wasn't for him, the franchise wouldn't have been as successful. He was a shooting coach for the Spurs for 17 years before singing with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Engelland was on the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets before the Spurs. While signing an assistant coach is usually not a big deal, the truth is that Chip Engelland is special.
ESPN Sources: The Oklahoma City Thunder are hiring Chip Engelland as an assistant coach. Engelland, considered the NBA's preeminent shooting coach, spent 17 years with the Spurs where he's considered to have had an immense impact on Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, among others.
The shooting coach has helped a lot of players improve their shooting skills, including Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili.
When the San Antonio Spurs drafted Kawhi Leonard, he was a below-average shooter. The forward shot 25% from long range in two seasons at San Diego State and his overall shooting percentage was 44.9%.
However, Chip Engelland turned him into one of the deadliest scorers in the entire league. Leonard's shooting percentage increased to 38.6% in San Antonio and he even shot 44.3% from beyond the arc in one season.
The 6-foot-7 forward became such a great two-way player that he led the Spurs to an NBA championship in 2014. He shot 41.9% from long range during the playoffs, which is a testament to how good Engelland is.
Engelland's impact on the Thunder will be huge
The Oklahoma City Thunder have a lot of great young players on their roster. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is their best player, but they also added Chet Holmgren with the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Gilgeous-Alexander is a fantastic all-around player, but he shot only 30% from long range last season. Holmgren, on the other hand, was a 39% shooting in Gonzaga, which was very good.
I'll be honest with ya, I've got no idea what a Chip Engelland is, or why I would even want one.
But if he turns SGA into a midrange assassin, I am all here for it... https://t.co/dDOmt5czI1
Chip Engelland could turn Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into one of the best scorers in the entire league. Chet Holmgren will also most likely improve and could become a 40% shooter in the NBA.
Considering how important shooting is in the modern NBA, this hire by the Oklahoma City Thunder is sensational.
The team ranked dead-last in 3-point shooting last season by converting only 32.3% of their long-range shots. They were also at the bottom in overall shooting percentage with 43%.
While Chip Engelland will most likely need more than one season to turn the Thunder into a great shooting team, we can expect them to be ranked among the best 20 shooting teams in the league next season, at the very least.