Do Former NBA Players Make Better Coaches?

[Jerz-2]

According to a study done by researchers at Cornell University and the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, former basketball players who had long careers, or were selected as All-Stars, had statistically higher winning percentages as head coaches.

"Having a former All-Star player as your coach is worth about six extra places in the NBA rankings in team winning percentage," said Larry Kahn, a professor of labor economics and collective bargaining at Cornell’s ILR School. "We were surprised at the strength of the statistical evidence."

Using data from 15,000 basketball games between 1996 and 2004, researchers found that teams coached by former NBA All-Stars had an average winning percentage of .495, while coaches who were not All-Stars had an average winning percentage of .376.

SOURCE

I think that's logical….but that doesn't speak to whether that player knows how to lead men, or motivate players, or get players to respond to their coaching style.

What about point guards? Isn't it possible that - since point guards are supposed to see the floor better than any other players - it follows that they would be great "X and O" men?

Maurice Cheeks
Doc Rivers
Avery Johnson
Mark Jackson

All these men have had success as coaches.....