When the final buzzer rung Monday night inside the Toyota Center, the Houston Rockets had ended a three-game losing skid in a 136-113 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
As soon as the game ended, Tari Eason, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Şengün and Jae'Sean Tate went to the Pistons' bench to greet their former coach, Stephen Silas.
Each player was thrilled to see Silas for the first time since his jettison in April. They embraced him with hugs and smiles, displaying that their respect and appreciation for their former coach had not withered.
"It was great to see some of my old players," Silas told Inside the Rockets. "I am so proud of those guys for growing and doing well."
After departing from Houston, Silas became the lead assistant under coach Monty Williams for the Pistons. The decision came moments after Williams took the helm in Detroit following their respective coaching change from Dwane Casey.
For a coach tasked with trying to win a championship in Phoenix over the previous two seasons, Williams said having Silas around has been a "blessing."
He has helped Williams get back to his developmental approach as a coach. And during their historic 28-game losing streak, Silas was a "great sounding board" for Williams due to the trials and tribulations he faced as the head coach in Houston.
"We have been friends for a while," Williams said. "We competed against each other. I got to know him away from where we are right now.
"He is carrying and has respect for the position. He has been huge for me and my growth as a coach, especially with a young team like this. We can talk all day about what he has meant to me. So, I am thankful to have him."
Winning 59 games in three years was not what Silas had in mind when he initially accepted the job as coach of the Rockets in October 2020. But the growth his players experienced under his tutelage was Silas' greatest reward.
Jalen Green received a blueprint from Silas during his rookie season to help with his early career development. The blueprint consisted of notes Silas collected throughout his 20-year career as an assistant, and details shared has Green on the brink of stardom.
Against the Pistons, Silas' blueprint and past teachings helped Green finish the game with 22 points on 6 of 12 shooting, 5 of 9 from behind the arc.
"That was my first coach," Green said. "He knows what he means to me. He helped my growth. After the game, he told me that he was proud of me."
Young players have always enhanced their game under Silas — whether he was at the helm of a franchise or as an assistant.
The list of prospects Silas helped develop made Baron Davis and Kemba Walker All-Star guards. He also helped lay an early foundation for the Hall-of-Fame careers of Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
Teaching has always been Silas' best attribute as a coach. And now, he is assisting the developments of Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey in Detroit. Cunningham struggled with his shot in Houston but still recorded 10 assists, while Ivey had one of his most efficient scoring performances of the season with 19 points on 6 of 10 shooting, 3 of 4 from deep.
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