Bulls adding three new assistant coaches after Splitter’s first season

The Chicago Bulls are reshaping their coaching staff ahead of next season. Head coach Tiago Splitter is bringing in three new assistant coaches, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Rex Kalamian, Jonah Herscu, and Blake Ahearn are all expected to join the Bulls’ bench. K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network reported the team is planning to make an official announcement later this week.

All three coaches are already in Las Vegas for NBA Summer League, which is usually the first sign a deal is done. The Bulls play the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. Eastern.

The new faces on the bench

Kalamian has bounced around the league. He’s been an assistant for eight different franchises: the Bucks, Pistons, Thunder, Raptors, Kings, Clippers, Nuggets, and Timberwolves. He also has a ring from Milwaukee’s 2024 title run. That kind of experience tends to carry weight in a locker room.

Herscu is coming off a head coaching gig with the Rip City Remix, Portland’s G League affiliate. He’s also worked as an assistant for the Trail Blazers and the Kings, so he knows Splitter from their time together in Portland.

Ahearn has been an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies and was the head coach of the Austin Spurs. That Austin team won the G League championship in 2018. He’s been around the Spurs organization before, which probably helps the familiarity factor.

Splitter’s first year was a gauntlet

This all ties back to how Splitter even got the Bulls job. He was an assistant under Chauncey Billups in Portland last season. Then Billups got indicted in that NBA gambling investigation that’s been hanging around, and Splitter had to take over on the fly.

Here’s the thing that doesn’t get talked about enough: the Blazers went 41-41 under those circumstances. They made the Play-In tournament. That’s not nothing for a team that could have completely cratered. San Antonio eventually bounced them in the first playoff round, but the season was a win relative to expectations.

The Bulls hired Splitter based largely on how he handled that chaos. Now he’s building his own staff in Chicago, pulling in guys he trusts and guys who’ve been around winning programs.

The Bulls aren’t exactly a contender right now, but they’re not in full rebuild either. Adding experienced assistants like Kalamian alongside younger coaches like Herscu and Ahearn suggests Splitter is trying to build a mix of veteran know-how and fresh eyes. It’s not a splashy move. But coaching staffs don’t usually win in the news cycle anyway.