NBA champion player and now coveted coaching voice Jared Dudley is set to become the top assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets under David Adelman, according to ESPN.
Dudley, 39, is a former first-round pick who spent 14 seasons playing in the NBA where he tallied 7.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest in 904 games. He was on many teams, including a long stint on the Phoenix Suns and a title with the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers.
Dudley follows his former co-worker J.J. Barea, who also worked as an assistant for the Dallas Mavericks. Dudley has been there since 2021, working under former Lakers assistant and NBA Hall of Famer Jason Kidd.
After losing Luka Doncic mid-season, the Mavericks have seen an exodus of coaches with – Dudley, Sean Sweeney (San Antonio Spurs) and God Shammgod (Orlando Magic) all leaving for promotions elsewhere. Meanwhile, Dallas is turning to former Lakers head coach Frank Vogel to be Kidd’s lead assistant.
Dudley has been a sought-after whistle in the coaching market, interviewing for the Phoenix Suns’ head coaching vacancy this offseason, a gig that was landed by Jordan Ott. Dudley also had received interest from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies to join their staffs as an assistant.
The rookie head coach, Adelman, is building out his first staff. He chose not to retain Ryan Saunders, Popeye Jones, Charles Klask and Stephen Graham, who all worked with him last year as assistants under Michael Malone. Adelman has now added Dudley and Rodney Billups to the team, hoping for a deeper playoff run as the full-time coach after a Game 7 second-round exit to the eventual champions as the interim in replacing Malone.
The Nuggets have changed a lot this offseason, not just on their bench but in their front office, which is now run by co-executive vice presidents Ben Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace. Former general manager Calvin Booth was fired the same day as Malone. Brass has already shaken things up big time by dealing Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson.
Dudley enters the fray, taking Adelman’s old job as the Nuggets’ No. 2 voice. A Mavs blog described his style as such: “Dudley was always the vibes guy on the staff. He related to the players and helped keep whatever shreds of culture the Mavs had in place, in place.”
Dudley is viewed in league circles as a respected former player and a bright developing coaching mind. These are good things for the Nuggets to have, though some wanted a former head coach to right-hand the rookie Adelman. Still, Adelman can always ring his father if he’s got a pressing question for a respected former NBA head coach.
