The Athletic: How Gregg Popovich quietly became the Spurs’ secret weapon

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SAN ANTONIO — Devin Vassell cannot wait to listen to what El Jefe has to say. He’s sitting at a podium in the southeast nook of the gymnasium however can see his former coach and present mentor all the means throughout the room. Just a little white head of hair, a dot in the distance, with a protracted cane and an undercover smile.

Vassell, the 25-year-old wing, has turn into certainly one of the vets of this younger Spurs group, a gentle hand who at all times retains his cool. He walks round the constructing with the commander of a shooter who is aware of it is taking place each time. It will not, however that does not change a factor.

It’s straightforward to assume that means when he has the NBA’s all-time winningest coach pumping confidence into him.

Vassell is aware of when he goes over there, Gregg Popovich goes to maintain it actual, give him some nuggets of knowledge and have him feeling again on prime of the world.

“At the end of the day, he’s always giving you feedback, and he’s telling you the truth and honesty,” Vassell stated. “That’s what you need to hear because it’s a lot of BS that might go around. But you need to hear the truth, you need to hear what’s going on, and he’ll do that for sure.”

It’s a standard theme from everybody on the Spurs who has been mentored by Popovich this season in his new function after he retired from teaching final 12 months. Current coach Mitch Johnson stepped in on an interim foundation in November 2024 after Popovich suffered a stroke. After the season, Popovich held a information convention the place he introduced that he would step away from teaching and tackle the new function of “El Jefe” (Spanish for “The Boss”), sporting a shirt that stated as a lot. He is formally listed as the president of basketball operations, however his function seems to be targeted on offering behind-the-scenes assist and steerage to Johnson, his successor, and everybody in the locker room.

“He’s been a big part of this whole year,” rookie Carter Bryant advised TheAthletic. “It’s been amazing. Not everybody has the greatest coach of all time just kind of sitting there in their laps. I just try to take it up as much as I can.”

The 20-year-old Bryant has performed effectively sufficient to carry down a rotation spot for a 62-win contender deep into the postseason, usually incomes his spot over Harrison Barnes, an NBA champion in 2015. Bryant by no means performed for Pop and simply met him again in the fall. But he rapidly sought out the teaching legend as a useful resource, and El Jefe has been that and extra for him.

“Sometimes he calls me so fast after the game that we’re still in the locker room and I can’t even answer it,” Bryant stated. “He texts me damn near after every game. I probably talk to him on the phone three times a week.”

Bryant will not be alone. It was an open secret inside the group that Popovich was forging or sustaining relationships with every participant all season lengthy. He talks to Keldon Johnson, the longest-tenured Spurs participant, day-after-day. Second-year guard Steph Castle leans on Popovich usually for recommendation and assist navigating the season. Whether they performed for Popovich for seven years or seven days, he is been locked in for them.

During the season, Popovich would poke his head out at follow as soon as in a blue moon whereas the media had been current, holding court docket by what was once his court docket. He would sit and observe as gamers would come over, one after the other, for a debriefing. He’d usually put his hand on their shoulders, exhibit some type of X’s-and-O’s tip from his seat and generally stroll round to say one thing to gamers or coaches standing on the sidelines.

Recently, Popovich has began to emerge extra from the shadows. The gamers have come to count on that once they’re in San Antonio, any time they present as much as work, Popovich could also be there. Spurs CEO RC Buford stated Popovich was in the gymnasium no less than 4 occasions per week rehabbing from his stroke, usually with Tim Duncan or different Spurs legends visiting city.

“It’s the reason why, with Pop’s stroke rehabilitation, Tim’s in the gym with him every day, and that’s not because Pop is telling him to be there,” Buford advised TheAthletic final month. “It’s because Tim feels the emotional connection to want to be there in the ways that Pop was there for him. Anytime people are in town, they’ll be in there.”

Even when the Spurs land, Popovich’s presence is felt. Earlier this week, Popovich was noticed speaking to Victor Wembanyama when the group airplane landed after the Spurs’ star was ejected from Game 4 of their second-round sequence towards the Minnesota Timberwolves for elbowing Naz Reid in the neck.

“He maybe wanted to make a statement, or make his talking even more impactful, by being there,” Wembanyama stated. “He gives feedback and talks to us regularly throughout our series, throughout our games. As always, when he speaks, everyone listens.”

But this was removed from a one-off factor. Popovich has been ready by the runway a number of occasions all through the season.

“We know what his car looks like. So when we see his car, we know he’s there,” reserve level guard Jordan McLaughlin stated. “It’s nice to know he’s in our corner and always watching us.”

Johnson and his workers preserve autonomy over the day-to-day operations. It’s their group, and Pop is there for assist. Popovich sits in with the teaching workers every so often, extra continuously as the younger Spurs embark on a run at the championship. When the Spurs had been in a movie session following a follow earlier on this second-round sequence, Popovich was the first individual to emerge from the neighborhood of the movie room. Vassell stated Popovich helped out loads in that movie session.

“He was just there watching film. He loves basketball,” McLaughlin stated. “He’s around anytime he can be.”

But he is principally carried out his influence at a person degree, serving to gamers reminiscent of Vassell and Bryant discover their focus whereas seeing the larger image.

“I think that’s one big thing, respecting the game and not taking any of this for granted,” Vassell stated. “And just with life, he’s taught me so much stuff off the court, whether it’s family or giving back in the community, he’s always had that at his forefront, and I appreciate him for that.”

Popovich performs a definite function in the coach-to-player communication pipeline. Each participant has an assistant coach assigned to him for his growth, which incorporates coordinating and executing all on-court coaching and movie examine. The assistants are answerable for managing the gamers’ feelings and preparedness, serving to them navigate the challenges of the season. Then there are the core assistant coaches, reminiscent of affiliate head coach Sean Sweeney, who sometimes performs a extra balanced function of coordinating game-plan technique, making big-picture selections with the head coach whereas sustaining touchpoints with the gamers. Front-bench assistants are inclined to have gamers for whom they’re the main coaches as effectively, though their duties are divided extra broadly.

A head coach, reminiscent of Johnson now, should preserve their very own relationships with everybody on the roster whereas making all of the micro and macro selections about what the group will do as an entire. Head coaches set the tone for priorities for every participant. Great head coaches are capable of make the gamers really feel as if there’s nonetheless a detailed relationship amid all of these tasks.

The El Jefe function permits Popovich to fill a few of the gaps in the general course of, starting from particular on-court instruction to providing a bigger-picture perspective on mindset.

“He’s speaking life into you,” Bryant stated. “Quite a lot of occasions, there’s some issues it’s good to hear from completely different folks. Sometimes it clicks when it isn’t the fixed voice that you simply’re listening to for 82 video games out of the 12 months.

It will not be unusual for franchise legends to be concerned with gamers from a distance. In Boston, late Hall of Fame coach and participant Tommy Heinsohn would poke his head in the locker room to talk with key Celtics gamers after powerful losses. Some groups could have former coaches function senior advisers who proceed to supply steerage every so often. Popovich seems to be turning the El Jefe function into his personal model of that, displaying his signature potential to forge relationships with gamers whereas easing up a bit on the throttle now that he’s not answerable for managing the complete program.

“It’s funny because you hear the stories about him being tough on guys and, obviously, he’s not my head coach, so I don’t kind of get that same experience,” Bryant stated. “But I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ This dude is the sweetest, nicest guy. “He’s dope.”

With Popovich’s assist, Bryant stated the playoffs have truly been much less nerve-wracking for him than the starting of the season. The must carry out to earn minutes produced what he referred to as “unnecessary pressure,” and it was taking his pleasure of the recreation away. Then, Pop referred to as and advised him to play free and have enjoyable.

“When you think about it at the end of the day, you’re grateful to be healthy, you’re grateful to wake up, you’re grateful to do all these things and have all these things in your life on a daily basis,” Bryant stated. “Basketball’s going to be basketball.”

Now Bryant, like the remainder of this younger Spurs group, is taking part in free and having enjoyable. The Spurs have exceeded each expectation this season, thanks largely to Johnson and his workers having certainly one of the finest performances in the league. But working a group takes a village, and El Jefe has continued to do his half.

As the Spurs discover themselves one win away from a showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals, Bryant will play some function, large or small.

Whatever occurs, he’ll must race again to the locker room, as a result of he is aware of his cellphone shall be ringing.

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Jared Weiss is a workers author overlaying the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama for The Athletic. He has coated the Celtics since 2011, co-founding CLNS Media Network whereas in school earlier than overlaying the group for SB Nation’s CelticsWeblog and USA Today. Before coming to The Athletic, Weiss spent a decade working for the authorities, primarily as a compliance financial institution regulator. Follow Jared on X @JaredWeissNBA.