The Chicago Bulls finalized their coaching staff recently, and they included two individuals with ties to the Detroit Pistons
As teams across the NBA approach training camp later this month, the Chicago Bulls recently outlined their 2026-27 coaching staff, and the announcement included a pair of individuals with very different ties to the Detroit Pistons organization.
As the name taking most of the fanfare for this transaction, Taj Gibson will be joining the Bulls as an assistant coach after the conclusion of his 17-year NBA career. Most recently, Gibson was a one-game starter for the Memphis Grizzlies this past season while featuring in nine other games for the club, which marked the eighth team of his professional career.
Initially, Gibson broke into the league as a rookie with the Bulls as a first-round pick out of USC who walked right into a substantial role with Chicago. Gibson started in 70 games as a rookie while averaging nine points and seven and a half rebounds per game during the 2009-10 season, though his playing time took a hit over the next couple campaigns.
Gibson bounced around to multiple franchises over the next several years before his brief stop in the Motor City. During the 2023-24 season, Gibson featured in four games for the Pistons in what was an overwhelmingly difficult 14-win output for Detroit, so that short-lived stopover is not likely to rank among the veteran’s favorite playing experiences.
Apart from Gibson, the Bulls also announced that they’d be adding Jamelle McMillan to the squad in his first season as one of Chicago’s assistant coaches after helping out as a Pistons assistant in addition to his role as head coach of the Motor City Cruise. Since McMillan was stationed primarily at the G-League level last season, he had the opportunity to hone in on player development since that’s the crux of his job in the G, so he should have a smooth transition as part of Thiago Splitter’s new staff.
Last season, the Cruise finished with a 22-14 record in the regular season, which was good enough for a fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference and qualified the team for the postseason. The Cruise went further in the playoffs than they had in the past under McMillan, so he departs from the Cruise organization on a positive note.
Along those lines, the Cruise are set to replace McMillan with Steve Scalzi as the team’s general moving forward. For the last two years, Scalzi served with the Pistons as an assistant coach who poured into the player development aspect of the game, so he’s going to be taking the group that McMillan led to the playoffs and aiming for an even deeper run at the end of the upcoming season.
In terms of recycling coaches from the Pistons organization as a whole, the Sacramento Kings announced earlier this week that Brendan Suhr would be a part of their coaching staff alongside longtime Detroit big man Jason Maxiell. Last year, Maxiell served at the G-League level, but he earned a promotion during the offseason and will serve on Doug Christie’s staff.
