The two coaches with the two worst records in the NBA this season, have a combined salary of $29.05 million, as an NBA Redditor announced. Head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, Gregg Popovich makes it onto this unfortunate list, earning $16 million per season while leading the Spurs to an embarrassing record of 4-20. This is the best the team has been able to do, despite having the generational talent of Victor Wembanyama.
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The two highest-paid coaches in the league currently have a combined record of 6-44
byu/throwawaythursday99 innba
Standing alongside Popovich is former Phoenix Suns head coach, and now Detroit Pistons head coach, Monty Williams. Earning 13.05 million per season himself, he was expected to take the Pistons to another level this season, especially considering the dearth of talent the team has. However, Detroit has been forced to watch a side that has only racked up a record of 2-24.
A change in leadership for both sides does seem to be out of the realm of possibility for the near future. Both head coaches signed long-term contracts with their franchises this past offseason. Of the two, Williams signed with Detroit on a six-year, $78.5 million contract, while Popovich signed on for a five-year $80 million deal.
While both those contracts mean quite a bit of money, it is hard to blame the two coaches too much. After all, both franchises have very young rosters that are still learning the NBA game. Further, the two have also proven their ability to do it at the highest level, with Monty Williams once taking the Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals, while Gregg Popovich helped the Spurs win five NBA championships during the team’s dynasty years.
There is enough reason to trust that both head coaches will eventually find their way as the season goes on. However, if they don’t, given the star power of Victor Wembanyama, Popovich is especially likely to be scapegoated by fans.
For his sake, we hope he figures it out before long.
Both the Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs have very young rosters
As mentioned previously, the Pistons and Spurs have a roster of young players. Both teams have a bright future too, as Wemby is set to become the face of the franchise for San Antonio, while Cade Cunningham will do the same for Detroit before long.
Victor Wembanyama once again doing freak-of-nature type stuff on defense on Sunday despite the blowout.
He SHOULD be out of position once the defender goes under the rim but his length just allows him to switch arms and defend this shot from the other side of the hoop. pic.twitter.com/GDnIPajKkj
— Ty Jäger (@TheTyJager) December 17, 2023
Wembanyama is currently averaging 19 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.9 blocks per game. He is also shooting 43.5% from the field, 27.8% from beyond the arc, and 78.8% from the charity stripe. While his efficiency has not been the greatest so far this season, it is expected to improve as the year progresses.
On the other end of things, Cade Cunningham is averaging 21.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game. He is shooting 42.2% from the field, 31.5% from three, and 88.1% from beyond the arc.
While both teams do look destined for the lottery once again, getting more talented young stars doesn’t seem like the worst thing in the world for these rebuilding franchises.
