In an exclusive interview with Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston, new Houston Rockets assistant coach Jeff Hornacek said his previous experience in the lead role with two NBA teams (Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks) should prove beneficial to first-time head coach Stephen Silas.

Regarding what he hopes to bring the Rockets, Hornacek said:

They’re plenty good enough, as players. I’ve learned a lot of things over the years from the different organizations that I’ve been with… what’s good, what’s not, and some of the things that I can help Stephen out with, being a ex-head coach.

There’s a lot of things that get thrown at you as a head coach that he’ll have to deal with. For me being an ex-player and went to the Finals — we never won it, but we had some pretty successful years — a lot of times, to get to that level, it’s the little things. That’s what hopefully I can give to Stephen and give to the players, little things that I see out there that might help us.

Now 57 years old, Hornacek led the Suns from 2013 through 2016 and the Knicks from 2016 through 2018. In 2013-14, he was the NBA’s runner-up for Coach of the Year. During his Phoenix years, Hornacek coached P.J. Tucker, who currently starts for the Rockets.

Known best for his motion offenses, Hornacek has plenty of familiarity with Houston from his playing days in the 1990s with rival Utah. (In his six seasons there, the Jazz faced the Rockets in the playoffs three times.)

More than a decade later, Hornacek began his coaching career as an assistant with the Jazz from 2011 through 2013. Regarding the value of his extensive experience over the years, Hornacek told Berman:

It’s experience. It’s like anything else. Players don’t usually come in as rookies and just dominate. It takes them a couple years to understand everything. Head coaching is a totally different job than assistant coaching. Anything that I can lend to Stephen, I’m here to support him and help in any way I can.

Hornacek also had kind words for the 47-year-old Silas, whom he expects to be a strong and well-liked head coach with the Rockets.

“Stephen and I have been talking for a few years,” Silas told Berman. “I knew he was going to be a head coach in this league. Excellent coach, smart guy, very personable with the players. I think guys will just love playing for him. To have an opportunity to be here with him and have such a great team — I mean, these guys are fantastic. So, I’m excited to be here, and help them and see if we can get over that hump.”

Hornacek continued:

You can see all the jobs he’s had with other teams and what he’s done with them. It’s just his demeanor. Obviously he knows basketball. His dad coached. Just talking to him — when you’re looking at coaching and a group of guys you want to be around, you want to know that they know the game and they kind of see things the way you do. That’s going to make for a great relationship, because when we talk basketball, we’re on the same page.

Training camp for Silas, Hornacek, and the rest of the Rockets begins at Toyota Center next Tuesday, Dec. 1, with the 2020-21 regular season to kick off approximately three weeks later.