We don't hear much about Tiago Splitter, but he's remained a prominent part of the basketball world, and he'll be making his return to the NBA next season. The former Spurs champ will be joining Chauncey Billups' staff as an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers after a stint as a head coach of a basketball club in Paris.
Splitter began his coaching career in the NBA, joining Brooklyn's bench in 2019. He spent a few years in the league before moving overseas to pursue more opportunities, and now he makes his return.
Splitter was a key piece to San Antonio's 2014 championship run
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The newly hired NBA assistant was the perfect piece to the puzzle of that Spurs team. They needed another big man to play next to Tim Duncan as he aged and the league was changing. At the time, San Antonio was on a search for that player, and that brought guys like Drew Gooden and Kurt Thomas to the team.
They were okay players, but both were past their prime and weren't really what the Silver and Black needed. Splitter was drafted in 2007, but followed a similar path we've seen many Europeans take, including Manu Ginobili. He remained in Europe for several years before joining the Spurs, and I remember how excited I was when that happened.
Tiago was a winner. He won multiple championships in the Spanish league and added MVPs to his resume in the EuroLeague. Touted as one of the best bigs across the pond, Splitter knew how to play his role. He was strong at finishing around the basket, played well out of the pick-and-roll, and could move his feet laterally on defense better than most centers at that time.
He was perfect for the Spurs at a time when the league was getting more athletic with players like Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook charging through defenses like battering rams. The guys needed another player who could protect the rim and offer some resistance. He was respectable from the foul line, and San Antonio never had to worry about taking him off the floor based on a matchup.
Splitter came over to the team in 2010 and had nothing but success in a Spurs uniform. His addition lined up with San Antonio bringing in a couple of athletic wings of their own in Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard. The infusion of youth and talent helped the Silver and Black sure up their defense and rebounding.
The result was two trips to the Finals in [back-to-back years, a championship](https://airalamo.com/ranking-gregg-popovich-legendary-championship-runs), and some of the most fun basketball Spurs fans got a chance to watch that decade. Congratulations to Splitter for making his return to the NBA. Hopefully, he's as successful as a coach as he was as a player. As long as it's not at San Antonio's expense, of course.