Report: Casey Hill To Be Promoted To Doc Rivers’ Clippers Staff

Longtime G League head coach Casey Hill is receiving a well deserved call-up to the NBA, Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Agua Caliente Clippers assistant Natalie Nakase will take an elevated role with Los Angeles’ player development staff as well.

Coach Hill will join Doc Rivers’ staff after a storied career in the G League. As a member of the Santa Cruz Warriors staff, Hill advanced to the minor league’s Finals three straight seasons (once as an assistant and twice as a head coach), ultimately leading Santa Cruz to the title in 2015.

For many G League head coaches, the goal is to acclimate one’s self under the organizational umbrella and increase their stock enough to earn a promotion to the big league affiliate’s staff. With Steve Kerr’s staff in Golden State a little too crowded, Coach Hill took advantage of a new opportunity with the expansion Agua Caliente Clippers club.

It was during this new challenge that Coach Hill increased his value by being part of a staff that built and nurtured a budding young group from the ground up. He helped put together a cohesive unit and as head coach, saw to it that the players stayed the course and embraced the Clippers’ overall culture as well. Just recently, Rivers himself said that the G League affiliate saved the big league club’s season, with the promotions of Tyrone Wallace and C.J. Williams leading the way.

Coach Hill has proven to be successful on the court, but he’s also one of the best managers at pulling people together and making members of a staff and those around it feel embraced. Each person is part of the big picture, thanks to the emphasis from Coach Hill. He’s a people’s coach, much more than a player’s coach. He relates well and it’ll be interesting to see how he acclimates to this new challenge.