The Greensboro Swarm have found their next head coach, and they’re keeping it in the family.
Zach Peterson has been named the fifth head coach in franchise history, stepping into the job after DJ Bakker left for the Orlando Magic, where he will serve as an assistant coach under Sean Sweeney. Bakker exits on the heels of a huge run in Greensboro, including the team’s first G League title in franchise history in April.
“Coach Bakker did a phenomenal job over the last two years working on and establishing that culture... all of that turned into a G League championship” said Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee.
Peterson arrives with a long coaching trail behind him. He has spent more than a decade in the NBA coaching ranks, beginning as a video intern for the Atlanta Hawks in 2014. He will keep his current responsibilities with the Hornets, where he has served the last two seasons as an assistant coach and director of player development, while also taking over the Swarm.
His resume includes stops with Tom Izzo, Mike Budenholzer, Billy Donovan, and Mark Daigneault. He also helped lay the groundwork for the current version of the Oklahoma City Thunder and worked with two-time league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“As we are on our journey we are taking bits and pieces of everywhere," Peterson told Hornets On SI after his introductory press conference on Tuesday. "I could talk for days about individual lessons from everybody."
Peterson also made clear how closely he expects Greensboro to mirror Charlotte. He has worked with Lee since their time in Atlanta, and he said the alignment between the two teams will be central to how he approaches the job.
"That's one of the biggest things-the alignment. I think we'll be really, really special because we're going to do everything as much as we can the exact same way.
We'll look at things differently, and at the end of the day, we're always going to play to our strengths. But the overall structure, we'll do as much as we can to make sure it's aligned with the Hornets franchise."
Now Peterson takes over a team that already knows what winning looks like. The Swarm are coming off their first championship, and the new coach inherits both that momentum and the challenge of helping develop players for the Hornets while keeping Greensboro on its current path.
With experience across multiple organizations, exposure to several accomplished head coaches, and a built-in connection to Lee’s system, Peterson gets a chance to continue what Bakker started.
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