Spurs fans are not happy with latest coaching staff loss
By Josh Paredes
The San Antonio Spurs suffered a huge blow on Wednesday morning, as the news broke that Chip Engelland would be departing the franchise for an assistant coach opportunity with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Often praised as the best shooting coach in the NBA, Engelland helped medium to subpar shooters like Kawhi Leonard, Bruce Bowen, and Tony Parker turn into more-than-capable shooters during his 17-year tenure.
As ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported, Engelland has been one of the league's highest-paid assistant coaches for a long time, but the two sides couldn't agree on a new contract.
The loss of Engelland comes at a time in which the Spurs finally embraced a total rebuild by making major roster moves and drafting three first-round rookies they intend to keep on the roster. This development could especially hurt San Antonio's development of Jeremy Sochan, who has all the makings of a terrific NBA player besides a reliable jump shot.
Spurs fans react appropriately to the unfortunate news
Understandably, fans of the Silver and Black weren't happy with the news.
This is undoubtedly a huge loss for the Spurs in both the short and long term. For the most part, they've been near the top or at least in the top half in the league in 3-point shooting throughout Chip's tenure in San Antonio. Now, he moves onto a franchise that finished dead last in that category last season.
Don't be surprised if Engelland is able to transform Josh Giddey into an All-Star as soon as next season -- he really is that good. Meanwhile, the Spurs' front office will have yet another huge hole to fill as they continue their rebuild.