Lakers assistant coach Jordan Ott to interview with Hornets
One of Darvin Ham’s top assistants, Jordan Ott, will reportedly be interviewing for the Hornets vacant head coach position.
One of the Lakers top assistants in Jordan Ott looks reportedly primed for an interview with one of the few — for now — job openings in the NBA. The Hornets have spent recent weeks conducting interviews after it was announced that Steve Clifford would be stepping down at season’s end.
Ott will be among the next group of candidates to receive an interview, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
ESPN Sources: The Charlotte Hornets’ coaching search continues with preliminary round interviews that include Lakers assistant Jordan Ott and former Vanderbilt and Raptors G-League coach Jerry Stackhouse.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 15, 2024
Charlotte is casting a very large net, so it’s certainly indicative of anything in and of itself that Ott is interviewing with the franchise. But it is certainly a noteworthy development.
Ott joined Ham’s staff from the Nets in 2022. At the time, his expected role with the team was described as a “prominent” one.
While in Brooklyn, Ott served as Steve Nash's offensive coordinator, an experience that likely plays a big role in the Hornets’ current interest in him. Here’s what SB Nation’s Nets site wrote about Ott when he joined the Lakers:
Ott, who joined the franchise in 2016, making him the longest-tenured assistant, served as Steve Nash’s offensive coordinator this past season. The former Nets assistant also coached Brooklyn’s Summer League team in Las Vegas last summer, finishing with a 3-2 record and a Co-MVP award for Cam Thomas (league-leading 27.0 points).
Prior to Brooklyn, Ott was a video coordinator with the Hawks, coinciding with Ham’s time in Atlanta and leading to the two eventually reconnecting in Los Angeles in recent seasons. Ott reached as high as an assistant coach with Atlanta before moving on to Brooklyn.
Ott did serve as the team’s Summer League coach in 2022. Outside of that, there hasn’t been a ton written about him during his time in Los Angeles.
Clearly, within NBA circles, he’s gained credibility to get to the point of being interviewed for head coaching positions in any capacity and circumstance. Again, considering how many candidates the Hornets have interviewed, this probably is little more than something to monitor for now until they move forward in their process.
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