Portland’s coaching search is accelerating, with the Trail Blazers expected to name their third head coach in three seasons in the coming days. After Tiago Splitter took the Chicago job and Carolina, Tom Dundon’s hockey team, won its league title, ESPN-style reporter Sean Hiken said Chris Jent has become one of the front-runners alongside Micah Nori and Taylor Lashbrook.
Jent, a longtime assistant in the NBA since 1994, has worked in Philadelphia, Orlando, Cleveland, Sacramento, Atlanta, the Lakers, Charlotte and New York. He spent this past season with the Knicks, where he won a title, and previously worked with Mike Brown at several stops, most recently as Brown’s top assistant in New York. He also played for Houston and won a championship there in 1994, appearing in 11 playoff games that year.
Unlike Lashbrook and Nori, Jent has limited head-coaching experience, having led Orlando for 18 games in 2004-05 and winning five. He coached Dwight Howard, Steve Francis and Grant Hill, and is widely known as a shooting specialist. He is also credited with helping LeBron James improve his outside shooting and free throws, raising his three-point percentage from 33.5% to 40.6% and his free-throw mark from 69.8% to 78%.
Jent is regarded as an offense-minded coach who favors building around a primary star, playing at a high pace and emphasizing movement without the ball. In New York, he served as offensive coordinator and was part of the staff that helped Karl-Anthony Towns become a more central offensive force, contributing to the Knicks’ title run. Jent said, "I like building confidence. I think everyone needs to believe in themselves in order to share the ball with each other and what they’re going to do on the court."
Portland owner Tom Dundon has not yet met any of the candidates in person, a factor that could prove decisive. Nori is also considered a leading candidate for Dallas, raising the possibility that one finalist could land elsewhere, as happened with Splitter.
