Why the Deacs' Biggest Offseason Acquisition May be Someone on the Sidelines
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The smartest thing a coach can do is to know when a change is necessary and to make that change. Steve Forbes saw his offense struggle for the majority of the season last year. Not only did the team shoot the ball poorly from three, but it also looked like the offense was way too ISO heavy and suffered from a lack of creativity.
Credit to Coach Forbes for bringing in a new assistant this season, Nick Friedman, to address the offensive challenges this team faced a season ago.
Friedman has a lot of pro basketball experience working with NBA and G-League teams. Most recently, he was the assistant coach and defensive coordinator for the Capital City Go-Go, a G-League team. He led the Go-Go to a team record with 31 wins, and they were ranked number one in opponent efficient field goal percentage with him at the helm.
Friedman was an assistant coach with the Charlotte Hornets for four years, where he oversaw both defensive and offensive planning during his time there. He created development plans for players like LaMelo Ball, Kelly Oubre, and Malik Monk.
Friedman's most successful offensive leadership came during his time with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (G-League team). Friedman helped lead the team to a Western Conference title. During this run, they ranked No. 1 in the G-League in two-point field goal percentage, offensive rating, rim field goal attempts, free throw attempts per game, and offensive rebound percentage. This shows Friedman's ability to completely transform an offense efficiently.
The accomplishments do not end there, as Friedman was selected to coach at Chris Paul’s Elite College Guard Camp for the past 5 years. While there, he worked with NBA All-Stars Ja Morant and Tyrese Maxey, among others. Hopefully, Friedman can bring this knowledge of developing guards to Winston-Salem.
Friedman to Give Boost to Wake Forest Men's Basketball Offense
As said, despite having both offensive and defensive backgrounds, Nick's primary role will likely be overseeing an offensive transition for this team from where they were a year ago. At ACC Tipoff, Coach Forbes spoke highly of Friendman, saying, "He's outstanding at what he does, but he has a real positive outlook on the game and how he works with the players."
This positivity is already paying dividends as Wake seems to be sharing the ball significantly better and is shooting higher percentages from three in practice. The only real way of really knowing what this new-look Deacon offense will be like is to see them once the season begins. However, this positivity that Friendman is bringing along with his expertise may be the key the Deacs need to get to the Big Dance finally.
What's Next?
The Deacs will be traveling to East Tennessee State University to play in a charity exhibition on Wednesday, October 29th. The exhibition will take place at 7 pm and will be televised on ESPN+. Wake will open up the regular season on opening night, Monday, November 3rd, at home against American at 8 pm.
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Justin is a student at Wake Forest University. He is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and aspiring finance major interested everything sports. In his freshman year, Justin completed an internship with the Wake Forest Ticketing Department where he gained some valuable insight into the sales and operations aspects of collegiate athletics. Before working with Wake Forest On SI, Justin was a contributing writer for Wake Forest’s student publication The Old Gold and Black. Currently, Justin serves as a student manager on the Wake Forest Men’s Tennis team. In his free time Justin enjoys spending time with his family and friends on the golf course and traveling.