The Toronto Raptors coaching staff is reportedly undergoing yet another change.
According to a report from Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Raptors assistant coach Jama Mahlalela is moving on to become a developmental assistant on Steve Kerr's staff with the Golden State Warriors.
Also within here: The Warriors are expected to hire Jama Mahlalela onto their developmental staff, sources tell me and @ShamsCharania. Mahlalela spent most of the past decade working as part of the Raptors development system. https://t.co/3D8vUnwVTc
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) July 8, 2021
Mahlalela, who was born in Swaziland, was raised in the Greater Toronto Area and played collegiately at the University of British Columbia from 1999-2004. In 2011, Mahlalela joined the Raptors as the director of player development, a role he held for two seasons before moving to the bench as an assistant coach for the 2013-14 season.
After five seasons as an assistant coach, Mahlalela was named the head coach of the Raptors 905 prior to the 2018-19 NBA G League season. In two seasons as the lead man for the Raptors 905, Mahlalela led the team to a 51-42 record, advancing to the playoffs in his first season while his second season at the helm was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following the 2019-20 season, Mahlalela was brought back to Toronto, where he rejoined the coaching staff as an assistant under head coach Nick Nurse.
During his time with the franchise, Mahlalela has been lauded for his player development and ability to connect with players, something that Norman Powell highlighted when reflecting on his time with the franchise.
Mahlalela's reported departure is yet another hit for a Raptors coaching staff that has now seen four different assistants move on in the past nine months, the most recent being Sergio Scariolo, who left the franchise to return to his native Italy to be the lead man for Virtus Bologna.
As it stands, Adrian Griffin, Jim Sann and Jon Goodwillie are the three assistants from the 2020-21 season who are set to return to the bench in 2021-22.
There are a number of candidates who can step up to fill the assistant coaching voids on Toronto's bench, including Nate Bjorkgren, who was not retained as head coach of the Indiana Pacers, Brittni Donaldson, who spent last season as an assistant with Raptors 905, Toronto player development assistants Jamaal Magloire and Mark Tyndale, as well as Patrick Mutombo, who was head coach of the Raptors 905 in the G League bubble.
Stick with NBA.com for more updates surrounding the Raptors coaching staff.
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