Dallas Mavericks new head coach Dusty May is reportedly making Willie Green his first coaching staff hire. Just days later, it is now being reported that Joe Boylan will also be joining May on the sidelines this season, despite rumored interest from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Boylan’s resume is somewhat sparse compared to someone like Green, with a start in 2013-2014 as an assistant coach involved in player development with the Golden State Warriors. His next coaching stint came in the same role for the New Orleans Pelicans beginning in 2018 and lasting two seasons before another brief hiatus. He joined the Minnesota Timberwolves staff as an assistant from 2022-2024 and then landed with the Memphis Grizzlies for the 2024-2025 season, also as an assistant.
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The slightly spotty coaching history lends an air of mystery to Boylan and what he brings to the staff, but a deeper look shows those gaps were filled with roles in the G League. It should also be noted that his various stints have paired him with generally accomplished coaches Mark Jackson, Alvin Gentry, Chris Finch and Taylor Jenkins, the latter of whom is at the helm in Milwaukee. Despite familiarity with Jenkins, it seems Boylan is choosing Dallas, despite reports to the contrary. Multiple sites, including our friends at Brew Hoops previously reported that Boylan was reuniting with Jenkins, but that no longer appears to be the case.
Getting back to what he brings to the staff, Boylan is known as a player development guru and founder of Cognition Coach. This is a cerebral person that is skilled at getting the best out of players by way of teaching player how to self-organize and pivot around game situations to problem-solve their way through a variety of scenarios. In short, it simulates game like scenarios and is more spontaneous and chaotic than rote drills that typically take place in a vacuum against token (or outright absent) defenses. Boylan has been quoted as saying:
“I became known as the ‘games coach.’ I was the guy you went to when you wanted a situation with defense and decisions. By that time in my career, I had adopted the CLA [constraints-led approach] as the underpinning of all of my practice design. Jaden McDaniels went from shooting 66 percent at the rim in his rookie year, doing the Mikan Drill, to 68 percent in Year 2, to 72 percent in his third season, to an elite 74 percent by Year 4. We exposed him to situations similar to the game, over and over again. No matter what situation arises, the player knows how to solve it. Maybe it’s a spin move in one scenario but a scoop in another. Maybe changing speed or direction works one time, maybe changing hands the next.”
Assistant coaching hires are rarely the exciting news of the offseason, but Boylan and his particular style are certainly intriguing. With a two core rookies in Cooper Flagg and Morez Johnson, Jr., along with newcomers Sergio de Larrea, Tobi Lawal and others, Boylan could prove to be a major boon to a young developing team.
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