Rockets Add 3 New Assistant Coaches For 2022 Season

The Houston Rockets announced additions to their coaching staff yesterday, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The trio of assistant coaches, Lionel Hollins, Mahmoud Abdelfattah and Mike Batiste, will join Stephen Silas on the bench for the 2022-23 season.

Lionel Hollins was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 when they won the NBA championship under Frank Vogel. That season they had the third-best defense in the NBA. He has head coaching experience with the Memphis Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets.

The Rockets also will add Mahmoud Abdelfattah to the staff. He coached the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets' G-League affiliate, starting in 2019 and led them to the G-League championship this past season. His time helming the Vipers has seen him coach Kevin Porter Jr., Kenyon Martin Jr., Josh Christopher, Trevelin Queen, Garrison Mathews, Daishen Nix, Anthony Lamb and Usman Garuba, who all may make the Rockets' opening day roster.

Mike Batiste, who was an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards this past season, is a former NBA player who played with the Clippers and Grizzlies and spent close to a decade racking up nine Greek League championships and three Euroleague titles, including two treble winning seasons. He has past coaching experience with the Nets, Hornets, and Magic.

The Rockets are still retaining assistant coaches John Lucas, Rick Higgins and Desagana Diop from last year. The Rockets announced earlier this week that Higgins would coach the Summer League team.

Stephen Silas heads into the second year of the Rockets' rebuilding process with two more guys who have NBA coaching and playing experience. With such a young team, all of this experience on the bench will be invaluable because these guys will be able to help our young players develop their skills even more. Batiste, Abdelfattah, and Hollins will also bring a fresh perspective to the team, and they may see something in a certain player that the other coaches have yet to recognize.

Stephen Silas is coming into his own in the NBA, and it's fantastic to see. I know last season was rough for Rockets fans because we're not used to rebuilding, and while it may be tough to watch at times, good things will come out of this rebuild.