Assistant coaches often go unpraised for their contributions, but Juwan Howard received votes as the NBA's best assistant in the annual general manager survey.
Howard joined coach Jordi Fernández's staff when the Brooklyn Nets hired him in April 2024. He's played a pivotal role in supporting his head coach during a rebuild.
Fernández said his assistant lets him coach the way he wants and praised the relationships he's built with players at last year's training camp. His experience is the backbone for the first-time head coach.
The two-time assistant started his coaching career with the Miami Heat in 2013. He played with the organization the previous season, winning the 2012 championship and repeating the following season in his first year as an assistant.
Coaching a star-studded trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh sounds like a tough challenge. Howard built a strong relationship with them as a player and formed a special connection.
His assistant tenure ended in 2019 when he accepted a head coaching gig for the Michigan Wolverines. He earned Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year, Sporting News Coach of the Year, AP Coach of the Year and the USBWA Coach of the Year in 2020-21, as the Wolverines entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
The Nets have a few Wolverines on their roster: Danny Wolf and Moritz Wagner. Howard's coaching tenure came one season after Wagner declared for the 2018 draft and ended before Wolf transferred.
Michigan still connects those three despite their tenure happening at different times.
He did coach Wagner's younger brother, Franz, for two seasons. They played together for six seasons for the Orlando Magic, and their relationship sparked fan interest in a potential reunion in Brooklyn.
Orlando is committing over $120 million to Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane. A financial crunch could result in a trade or the loss of a key young player like Anthony Black.
General manager Sean Marks possesses the draft capital to make a blockbuster trade to reunite the Wagner brothers and add another Wolverine to the roster.
Howard and Fernández face their toughest challenge this season. Brooklyn aims to compete and win games after tanking over the last two seasons.
Marks traded for Julius Randle, signed Moritz Wagner and Keon Ellis and drafted Mikel Brown Jr., Joshua Jefferson and Tyler Bilodeau. He's blended youth with veteran experience, giving Fernández depth and versatility.