Nick Crain | 12/30/22

Every season, teams look different for a variety of reasons. Whether it’s fresh faces on the roster or a new coach at the helm, the rise and fall of teams happens extremely quickly year-over-year..

 

Using ProFitX, however, it’s easy to see these trends and understand why.. With models that measure team synergy, player performance value, and the overall fit, the chemistry of a team becomes clear. And , again, coaching is a significant part of that.

 

To further put this in context, let’s look at two coaches that are getting the most out of their respective rosters.

                         

Rick Carlisle (Indiana Pacers)

Carlisle is known for being a coach that leads playoff caliber teams. That’s looked a bit different in Indiana, as the team is now in a rebuild. With that in mind, he’s been fantastic as a developmental coach that’s still able to get the most out of his players as they prepare for the future.   The Pacers are absolutely trending in the right direction in just his second year as head coach. Two of the larger roster additions over the past year have been Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Smith, both of which have seen tremendous growth as players in his system.   Furthermore, Indiana has two of the best rookies in the NBA in Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard. Neither were expected to be as good as they have been early on, but their success is in large part due to Carlisle.              

Will Hardy (Utah Jazz)

  After hitting the reset button in Utah during the offseason, the Jazz were expected to be one of the worst teams in the league. They traded away both of their stars in Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, but have made the most of it. This new era of success is a product of first-year head coach Will Hardy and his ability to put his players in the best situations for growth.   The primary pieces of the pick-heavy trades for those two players were Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton and Jarred Vanderbilt. All three have been great when taking the floor this season, especially Markkanen. The 7-footer is having a breakout season and looks like a legitimate secondary star at just 25 years old. He’s been a completely different player within Hardy’s system and by all extensive purposes he’s thriving.   To this point in the season, Utah is in the playoff race with a record of 18-16. The Jazz have a great combination of youth and veterans, with scoring around the edges through guys like Jordan Clarkson and Malik Beasley, who are key pieces to the puzzle.