LOS ANGELES – The role of NBA coach can be a tricky needle to thread in 2022. For so long the league has been a players' league and as salaries have risen, players make multiple times over what a coach can make.
But a coach is supposed to be an authority figure, to demand accountability and give orders for players to carry out, despite the discrepancy in pay.
Basketball also has fewer players than the other major pro team sports, so a few players can have a large sway on the character of a team, and a coach has to find a way to have the players' respect without becoming too chummy or too harsh that they tune him out.