DJ Bakker on Offensive Concepts vs Switching (EP386)
The Basketball Podcast
Chris Oliver
4.3 • 525 Ratings
🗓️ 20 August 2025
⏱️ 46 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this week's basketball coaching conversation, Charlotte Hornets Assistant Coach DJ Bakker joins the Basketball Podcast to share insights on offensive concepts vs. switching.
DJ Bakker is the Head Coach of the Greensboro Swarm and an Assistant Coach with the Charlotte Hornets, bringing over a decade of NBA coaching experience and a proven track record in player development and team success. In the 2024–25 season, Bakker led the Swarm to their first playoff appearance in franchise history, finishing with a 31–19 record—best in team history and fourth overall in the G League. Under his leadership, the Swarm ranked third in Defensive Rating, top five in Net Rating, and first in both Clutch Net Rating and Offensive Rating. His dual role with the Hornets included overseeing the development of young NBA talent, including 2024 sixth overall draft pick Tidjane Salaun.
Before joining the Hornets organization, Bakker served as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2023–24 season. He played a key role in shaping the team’s offensive identity to maximize the strengths of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, while also working individually with Khris Middleton and Malik Beasley. That season, the Bucks finished fifth in Offensive Rating and Bakker was part of the coaching staff for both the 2024 NBA All-Star Game and the playoffs. His G League success began with the Motor City Cruise, where he led the team to a 31–15 record in its inaugural season and a playoff berth, while developing five future NBA players.
Bakker’s coaching journey includes player development roles with the Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, and Dallas Mavericks, where he worked with emerging stars like Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby. He also served as an advance scout for the Orlando Magic and began his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls. His foundation in skill development was shaped at ATTACK Athletics under Tim Grover, where he trained over 35 NBA players. Known for his adaptability, communication, and tactical clarity, Bakker continues to build competitive, development-focused environments at both the NBA and G League levels.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | excited to welcome Charlotte Hornets assistant coach DJ Baker to the basketball podcast. |
| 0:05.7 | Coach Baker is a season NBA assistant coach and player development specialists with over a decade of professional coaching experience. |
| 0:12.0 | In 2024, he was named head coach of the Greensboro Swarm, the G-League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets. |
| 0:17.8 | After serving this as assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks during the |
| 0:21.1 | 2020-24 season. Baker's coaching journey began in 2009-2010 as a video coordinator with the Chicago |
| 0:28.2 | Bulls, followed by a stint as a regional advance scout for the Orlando Magic. He later joined the |
| 0:33.6 | Dallas Mavericks in 2015-16 and the Toronto Raptors 2016-18 in player development |
| 0:39.4 | roles. From 2018, 23 Baker was part of the Detroit Pistons coaching staff under Dwayne Casey, |
| 0:45.5 | initially his player development coach before being promoted to an assistant coach. He also served |
| 0:50.1 | as the head coach of the Motor City Cruise, Detroit's G-League affiliate, compiling a 3925 record |
| 0:55.6 | over two seasons. Hey coach, a brief time out from the podcast to bring you the Analytics Minutes, |
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| 1:57.3 | start analyzing your game for free. Coach Baker, welcome to the basketball podcast. It's great to be here with you, Chris. Thanks a lot for having me on. I'm grateful I've known each other for a while and this is long overdue to get you on and be able to talk basketball and learn from you. And maybe if you just first start with your coaching journey a little bit, just in terms of some of the different roles that you've filled, including what I love is you've had the experience to be a head coach in the G-League. |
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