It’s hard to keep track of how many head coaches Mat Ishbia has had on his payroll with the Phoenix Suns since he took over as owner in February 2023. He’s tried both the steady and the star, but now, he’s got a new opportunity and Jordi Fernandez’s No. 2 is on his short list.
The Brooklyn Nets’ Steve Hetzel is indeed one of NINE candidates for the big job in Phoenix to replace Mike Budenholzer who Ishbia fired at the end of the Suns’ more-than-disappointing season, one in which despite Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal didn’t even make the playoffs. Before Coach Bud, the Suns owner dispatched Monty Williams who he inherited from former owner Robert Sarver, as well as Frank Vogel, who at least got the Suns into the playoffs in 2024 before being swept in the first round.
Hetzel is a coach’s coach. Before joining Fernandez. he had stints in the San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers organizations, the last of which he was an assistant coach for the three seasons (2021-24) immediately before he got the call from Fernandez. He and Fernandez had first bonded while with the Canton Charge, the Cavs G League affiliate, a decade earlier.
There are number of other candidates, Minnesota assistant Micah Nori, Cleveland’s Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott, Dallas’ Sean Sweeney and New Orleans’ James Borrego as well as a holdover from Budenholzer’s staff former NBA head coach David Fizdale. (Ott and Sweeney are both former Nets assistants, Ott under Kenny Atkinson, Sweeney under Jason Kidd.)
What does Hetzel bring? Veteran Arizona Republic beat writer Duane Rankin profiled Hetzel on Friday. He described Hetzel as both a player’s coach and “unflappable.”
Brooklyn Nets assistant Steve Hetzel is viewed in NBA circles as someone who “deeply cares” about seeing players and coaches succeed.
There’s also a toughness about Hetzel that makes him the ideal person to have in the trenches of competition, league sources say.
One source called Hetzel “unflappable” in describing his composure and calm demeanor.
More than one Nets player praised Hetzel specifically for his player-centric qualities and three weeks ago, in an joint interview with the Nets’ internal communications team, the two talked about their relationship ... in which both described their relationship as a brotherhood...
“I want nothing but success for him,” Hetzel said about Fernandez in the video. “I want us to have success. I want the Brooklyn Nets to have success, but I want him to be successful because he’s like a brother to me.”
“The friendship, the loyalty is there because we know it,” Fernandez said in returning the compliment. “We kept that and now work-wise, I can see how much he’s grown. He’s done different things, I’ve done different things as well and I think that makes us even better as a group.”
Hetzel got his most recent head coaching experience last summer with the Nets in Summer League. Fernandez was in Toronto working with Team Canada in anticipation of the Olympics.
Rankin wrote that Hetzel’s move up the NBA ladder from a job as a video coordinator with the Spurs right out of Michigan State to Nets associate head coach is a big asset for Hetzel.
League sources say Hetzel “didn’t skip steps” in his journey.
He’s viewed as someone who builds and maintains relationships on all levels, from front office to coaches and players, doing so in an authentic fashion.
He also may have another advantage. Both Hetzel and Ishbia got their starts under legendary Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, Ishbia as a player for the Spartans from 1999 through 2002 and Hetzel behind the scenes as a student manager from 2003 through 2005. That connection, like the one he’s had with Fernandez, can’t hurt.