The Brooklyn Nets have named Steve Hetzel, Juwan Howard, Deividas Dulkys, Connor Griffin and Travis Bader as assistant coaches on Jordi Fernandez’s staff. They join Jay Hernandez, Adam Caporn, Ryan Forehan-Kelly and Corey Vinson on Brooklyn’s bench.
Hetzel comes to Brooklyn from Portland, where he was an assistant coach on the Trail Blazers’ staff for the past three seasons (2021-24). He previously served as an assistant coach for three seasons (2018-21) with the Orlando Magic following a four-year stint (2014-18) as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Hornets. Hetzel was also the head coach of the Canton Charge in the NBA G League for one season (2013-14) while Fernandez served as his lead assistant coach.
Howard joins the Nets’ staff after serving as the head coach of his alma mater, the University of Michigan, for the past five seasons (2019-24). While at the helm in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines compiled an 87-72 record, which included trips to the Sweet 16 (2022) and Elite Eight (2021) in the NCAA Tournament and a regular season Big Ten Conference championship. At the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, Howard earned National Coach of the Year honors. Before his stint leading Michigan, Howard spent six seasons (2013-19) as an assistant coach with the Miami Heat.
Dulkys joins Brooklyn’s bench after spending the last two seasons (2022-24) as an assistant and player development coach for the Sacramento Kings.
Griffin arrives in Brooklyn after three seasons (2021-24) with the Denver Nuggets. He spent the last two seasons (2022-24) as head video coordinator/player development while assisting a postseason run in 2023 that resulted in the Nuggets’ first NBA championship. Griffin originally joined Denver ahead of the 2021-22 season as an assistant video coordinator.
Bader begins his fifth season as part of the Nets organization and his first as an assistant coach. He spent the last two seasons (2022-24) as the team’s head video coordinator following a two-year stint (2020-22) as a video seasonal assistant.