DeMar DeRozan offers perspective on San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon

Assistant coach Becky Hammon has been an integral part of the San Antonio Spurs for six seasons, leading to some high praise from DeMar DeRozan.

Since being hired to the San Antonio Spurs coaching staff in the summer of 2014, assistant coach Becky Hammon has left a remarkable presence on all of the players she’s interacted with. Between her own playing experience and well-rounded expertise of the game, Hammon is one of the most crucial members of the team’s brain trust sitting on the sidelines.

Hammon has been interviewed for head coaching positions but has yet to get her big break. Many fans and spectators believe she’ll be the first in line to take head coach Gregg Popovich’s throne once he decides to retire, but Pop hasn’t offered any insight into who he’ll promote as his successor in the River City.

In an interview with ESPN’s Ros Gold-Onwude, Spurs wing DeMar DeRozan offered some great perspective about what it’s like to be around Becky and how she’s impacted not only him but the team as a whole.

“Her knowledge of the game is one of a kind and the person she is off the floor makes her a better individual.

“She’s not intimidated by nothing by far, she’ll get up in your face and tell you something but she’s the most positive individual when it comes to the basketball. Her X’s and Os—when it comes to drawing up plays—She knows her stuff.

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It’s evident that DeRozan has a lot of admiration for Hammon, referring to her as a “big sister” or “auntie” who provides a lot of guidance for players on the sideline. Her coaching style is clearly that of a player’s coach, which is what translates to winning products more often than not in today’s game. Popovich is a player’s coach in some ways too, he just pushes his players more than the average coach does.

Hammon is now the most prominent assistant coach on the team from an experience standpoint. Unless shooting guru Chip Engelland plans to take his shot at being something more than an assistant, she’s the most likely person to step up in Pop’s place. Even though he was a head coach for a night, franchise hero Tim Duncan likely isn’t going to take on that responsibility.

She’s a noble leader, one who connects with players and teaches them to be the best versions of themselves. Her imprint has made a noticeable impact on the growth and development of young players like Bryn Forbes and Derrick White. Hammon’s guard expertise in her own playing days made her a one-of-a-kind point guard and now, she’s instilling those floor general qualities in the next generation of Spurs.

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Every season, it becomes increasingly likely that Hammon is going to take the torch from Coach Pop and become the next leader of the Spurs organization.