The Toronto Raptors are quietly stacking their coaching staff with some real NBA experience. According to Sportsnet’s Michael Grange, the team is close to bringing Stephen Silas on board as an assistant coach under Darko Rajakovic. Silas hasn’t been on an NBA bench since the 2023-24 season, when he served as an assistant with the Detroit Pistons under Monty Williams.
This isn’t a flashy hire. But it’s a smart one. Silas has been around the league for more than two decades, and his resume includes head coaching experience — even if that experience came during a brutal rebuild in Houston.
Silas’s Rocky Run in Houston
Silas got his first head coaching gig ahead of the 2020-21 season with the Rockets. It was a tough spot. Houston was in full tank mode, and the roster wasn’t built to compete. Over three seasons, Silas went 59-177. That’s a rough number, but it came with the understanding that the organization was prioritizing draft picks over wins. When the Rockets declined his contract option after 2022-23, it wasn’t exactly a surprise.
Before that, Silas spent years as an assistant. He started with the Charlotte Hornets from 2000 to 2003, which covered the team’s relocation to New Orleans. From there, he worked with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, the Charlotte Bobcats (who later became the Hornets again), and the Dallas Mavericks. That’s a lot of stops and a lot of different systems.
Family Ties
Silas’s late father, Paul Silas, was a former NBA star and longtime coach. Early in Stephen’s career, he actually worked under his dad in Charlotte. That kind of basketball pedigree doesn’t hurt when you’re trying to earn respect in a new locker room.
Toronto is coming off a busy offseason — they made headlines by reportedly reuniting with Kawhi Leonard in a trade with the Clippers, though that move hasn’t been officially announced yet. Adding Silas to the bench gives Rajakovic a veteran voice who’s seen just about everything. The Raptors didn’t need another splashy move. They needed someone who knows how to work with young players and handle the grind of an 82-game season. Silas fits that description.
It’ll be interesting to see how much responsibility he gets. Rajakovic is still early in his own head coaching tenure, and having a former head coach on staff can be a double-edged sword. But for now, this looks like a low-risk, high-experience add.
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