Mavericks assistant Stephen Silas to become Rockets head coach

The Houston Rockets didn't land one of their reported favorites for their opening at head coach, but they did find their next head coach.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday that Dallas Mavericks assistant Stephen Silas is finalizing an agreement to become Houston's next coach. The 47-year-old, who is the son of three-time NBA champion and longtime head coach Paul Silas, sold the Rockets on his "offensive ingenuity, his pedigree with Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle, Steve Clifford and his father," per Wojnarowski. 

As Kelly Iko wrote for The Athletic, Silas became the youngest NBA assistant coach when he was 27 and has spent time with a handful of franchises over the past two decades. Houston considered hiring him in the spring of 2016 but instead went with Mike D'Antoni, who left the organization following its elimination from the playoffs held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. 

As an assistant, Silas worked with superstar players such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry and, most recently, Luka Doncic. He'll now be asked to get the best out of the Houston duo of James Harden and Russell Westbrook assuming both remain with the Rockets through the start of next season. 

Previously, the Rockets were linked with Doc Rivers, Tyronn Lue and Jeff Van Gundy, among others. Van Gundy was thought to be a finalist for the gig not long ago, but Houston instead went with a fresh face and new ideas.