Is Giannis Antetokounmpo the best player Doc Rivers has coached? Analyzing options
By Rudy LB
Old school legends
Tracy McGrady
Rivers coached McGrady in the late 90s and early 2000s.
The 2017 NBA Hall of Fame inductee signed with the Magic as a free agent before the 2000-01 season and instantly became the team's star (26.8 points per game). The Magic were eliminated by the Bucks in the first round of the NBA playoffs in their first season with him. McGrady was an All-Star all four seasons in Orlando (all under Rivers), leading the league in scoring in back-to-back years with 32.1 points per game in 2002-03 and 28 in 2003-04.
Rivers won the Head Coach of the Year award with the Magic in the 1999-2000 season. One would have to think these years with the Magic still are remembered fondly.
Monty Williams
Speaking of the impact coaching can have, when your player becomes a good coach, that has to feel good. When a great coach like Rivers has a player become a great coach, that is a huge compliment. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Monty Williams has gone on to be a great NBA head coach.
The current Pistons head coach was a player under Rivers starting in 1999. During that first season, Williams averaged over eight points and mostly came off the bench. However, like Rivers, his impact as a coach has seemingly outweighed his experiences as a player.
Milwaukee fans will always remember how Williams led the Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals only to lose to the Bucks.
Patrick Ewing
Doc Rivers coached Ewing at the end of his career and at the beginning of his own coaching career. All of this went down as Rivers coached the Orlando Magic.
In their one season together, Ewing only started four games and, at the age of 39, only averaged about six points a game. But Ewing was an 11-time All-Star and an NBA hall of famer. Ewing will always be remembered as an NBA great.
Here is another debate for another time: Is Patrick Ewing a better player than Giannis Antetokounmpo?