On the list of buzziest NBA offseason moves, the New York Knicks hiring a new assistant coach does not rank high.
However, the hiring of Mark Bryant as an assistant coach to Tom Thibodeau's staff already looks like a smart move.
Bryant is a former NBA center and a veteran assistant coach who is known for his work with big men. He's worked with players like Dwight Howard on the Orlando Magic, Steven Adams with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Deandre Ayton with the Phoenix Suns.
As SNY's Ben Krimmel noted, many of those centers have credited Bryant with developing their games.
Former NBA coach Monty Williams praised Bryant's work with Adams while with the Thunder.
"[Bryant], he's amazing with bigs," Williams told the Suns' team website in 2020. "Steven [Adams] was not that before he came to Oklahoma City and now look at him ... MB is one of those guys who's a plotter. He's in the gym step-by-step, day-by-day, getting guys to a level where they can play that position and be effective."
Ayton told reporters that Bryant also developed his game.
"He's taught me a lot of tricks, a lot of things that I need," Ayton told the Suns' team site in 2020. "He basically polished up my game, like the cherry on top. Everything I have, he enhanced it and added more to it. It's a major impact to where he evolved my game into an enforcer."
Now, Bryant looks like he could be joining the Knicks in the nick of time.
Knicks starting center Mitchell Robinson is going to miss the start of the season as he recovers from foot surgery. It's a blow for the Knicks, whose already-thin center rotation just got thinner.
The team will now likely turn to Jericho Sims and Precious Achiuwa to man the center rotation. Sims is an athletic, but unproven big man. Achiuwa is skilled, but undersized as a center and more of a forward-center hybrid.
It's possible that Bryant's tutelage with both players could pay off for the Knicks. Sims has the physical tools to be a quality big man, but has often been prone to mistakes, like leaving his feet on defense or fouling. Achiuwa is a bit more polished, but as a part-time center, he could likely learn from Bryant about how to be an anchor in the middle.
The same could be said of Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, who may see time as small-ball bigs this season. Bryant could teach them a few tricks for playing up a position.
As The Athletic's Fred Katz said on his "Katz and Shoot" podcast, players used to joke that Bryant was the strongest man in the league because even NBA big men couldn't back him down during drills.
"He is a very hands-on sort of coach. Players love him," Katz said, adding: "He's very well-respected around the league."
Bryant may already be leaving his mark with the Knicks. Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News reported that Bryant has been working with Sims at the Knicks practice facility since August.
Sims, in particular, is the player the Knicks most need to take a step forward in his development. It's unreasonable to expect Sims to suddenly become an above-average starting center, but Sims has played reasonably well in spot starts during his career. If, with the help of Bryant and Thibodeau, Sims can give the Knicks a solid 20 minutes per night of rebounding and paint protection while finishing around the basket, it would ease the impact of Robinson's absence.
If there was ever a time to hire a coach known as the "big man whisperer," the Knicks seemed to have found it.
More Knicks news:
New top-100 NBA player ranking pays tribute to the Knicks' depth
Former NBA executive says Knicks have one of the worst contracts in the NBA
Ranking the Knicks' eight most important players this season
