Juwan Howard has been a member of the Miami Heat for the past three seasons, although last year he appeared in just seven games for the team, all in the regular season.
Howard’s impact was made with his veteran presence, most notably in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Pacers when he lit into his teammates at halftime, helping to produce the desired result.
In essence, Howard was more of a de facto assistant coach in his final year with the Heat than he was a contributing player. Management apparently recognized his ability in that area, as they’ve hired him to be an assistant coach working in a player development role, beginning next season.
The team announced Howard’s hiring, as well as some other shuffling of front office personnel, in an official release on Saturday.
Howard played 19 seasons in the NBA for nine different franchises. His second year in the league was his best statistically -- in 1996 with the then-Washington Bullets, Howard averaged 22.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 40.7 minutes per game, while making his only career All-Star appearance.