On the condition of anonymity, Yahoo Sports asked more than three dozen high-ranking team executives to name two assistants whom they see as the top head-coaching prospects. The only criteria: Execs could not name assistants from their own staffs, and assistants could not have any NBA or major-college head-coaching experience. Nick Nurse with the Toronto Raptors got the most votes with 16. Portland’s David Vanterpool came in second with 13 votes.
Vanterpool gets high praise for his work with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, and receives a nice compliment from Terry Stotts:
Vanterpool, 45, has risen rapidly. He joined the Blazers’ bench in 2012 with Stotts after two seasons as a pro scout in Oklahoma City. In Portland, Vanterpool has worked closely with Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum – “He has done a remarkable job with our guards,” Stotts told Yahoo Sports – and is the de facto defensive coordinator on Stotts’ staff, leading a defense that ranks in the top 10 this season. Said Stotts: “He really thinks the game like a head coach.”
Vanterpool, 45, just finished his sixth season as a Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach. He played briefly for the Washington Wizards during the 2000-01 season and also had stints as a player in the Continental Basketball Association and for the European team CSKA Moscow. In NBA.com’s 2017-18 NBA GM Survey, Vanterpool was voted as the fourth-best assistant coach in the league, receiving 10 percent of the vote.
Hennigan also interviewed him in 2016.
