It’s possible another former Celtics assistant could rise to the head coaching ranks.
Will Hardy surpassed expectations in his first year with the Utah Jazz, and Joe Mazzulla was promoted to Boston’s head coach after Ime Udoka was suspended by the team.
Now Jerome Allen will get his chance at a head coaching gig when he interviews for the Detroit Pistons job next week, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Allen was an assistant for six seasons when Brad Stevens was Celtics head coach. He left when Udoka became head coach and served as an assistant under Dwane Casey in Detroit for the past two seasons.
The Pistons job became vacant after Casey, like Stevens, transitioned into a front office position at the conclusion of the regular season.
Allen was the longest-tenured assistant in the Stevens era and earned a lot of respect from Celtics players. He earned enough admiration to be a contender for Boston’s job when Stevens stepped down from the role.
Before his time with the Celtics, Allen was head coach of the Penn Quakers men’s basketball team for four seasons.
Detroit faces a long rebuild, but it hopes players like Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duran can be foundational players to help reclaim its glory years. Allen might be the man to help guide a young Pistons roster.
