LAS VEGAS - Just moments before the Pistons tipped off their Las Vegas Summer League opener against the Magic, coach Jarrett Jack turned around and saw a familiar face in the crowd. It was Paul Hewitt, his former coach at Georgia Tech, and the memories flooded back.
Nearly 20 years ago, Hewitt would lead the Yellow Jackets to an NCAA Championship appearance. Jack looks to pass on the lessons learned all those years ago to the newest generation of NBA players.
The Pistons named Jack their summer league coach and he helped push them to an 89-78 win over the Magic on Saturday. Jack is responsible to lead Pistons’ 2022 and 2023 lottery picks in Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson among others.
Jack looks to lean on some of the lessons that he picked up from Hewitt during his three years as a starter at Georgia Tech, as well as as the other coaches he has played for.
“I learned what it was like to see somebody command the team’s attention day in and day out, push the envelope to get guys to be better, let them under understand what teamwork sacrifice was about,” Jack told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“And I was always about those things. He grabbed and got some other things out of me and I’m thankful for him. I’ve been around Coach Mont(y Williams) for eons almost since I’ve been introduced to the NBA and I’ve done nothing but try to soak up everything that every coach that I’ve been around. I try to take pieces from them and with that, hopefully I can see where I land myself.”
One of the lessons he learned from Hewitt that he tapped into on Saturday was playing with toughness. The Magic controlled much of the first half of Saturday’s summer league matchup. But when Jack reminded his team to play with toughness, as well as together, things turned around.
The Pistons went from trailing the Magic by as much as 20-12 with just under three minutes in the first quarter to leading by 11 by the time the final buzzer sounded.
“I think the proof is actually in the pudding,” Jack said. “When we went out there and we played fast we shared the basketball, we defended and we rebounded, the momentum shifted unbelievably in our direction and it’s a more enjoyable, it’s a more fun brand of basketball to be a part of.
“The other stuff is kind of tough sledding at times, and can make the game seem a bit more difficult than it has to be. So, when you do it within those and whomever is getting rewarded via the points or assists or rebounds, it doesn’t really matter. You just feel a part of a positive presence and you just go from there.”
Jack, who played 12 seasons in the NBA, enters his third season as a coach. He spent two seasons with the Suns under Williams and now follows him to the Pistons. He’ll help to develop the young core of guards into steady floor leaders like he was with the Yellow Jackets. He finished his tenure at Georgia Tech 26th on the team’s career scoring list, amassing 1,265 points.
He hasn’t strayed too far from Georgia Tech despite where his NBA and coaching careers have taken him, calling Atlanta his second home. Just like the rest of the world, he’ll be watching to see what new Georgia Tech coach Damon Stoudemire has in store for the program.
“Well, number one he brings in who he is, right? All-American point guard in college, rookie of the year in the NBA,” Jack said. “Those things, command attention from guys that want to go and visit the place that he’s gone already. He’s done all of them at such a high level. Him understanding what it’s like to be a 17-, 18-year-old kid, trying to embrace this journey that’s wrong. I think he can speak from our perspective, that’s honest but it’s also something that would be challenging, as well.”
