The Monte McNair era is off to a raucous start.

Marc Stein reported that the Kings are close to hiring Alvin Gentry as the team’s associate head coach. Gentry was the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans for the past five seasons before being let go after the Pelicans disappointed in the NBA bubble.

The Kings are closing in on the hiring of former Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry to join Luke Walton's staff in Sacramento as associate head coach, league sources say

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 6, 2020

Gentry has been a head coach for five teams in the NBA, but he has also made the rounds as an assistant for six different teams. Before taking the New Orleans job, he was an associate head coach for the LA Clippers in 2013-14 and then the Golden State Warriors in 2014-15, where he won his lone NBA title.

It was with the Warriors when Gentry first built a relationship with Luke Walton, as Walton was also an assistant on that staff before leaving to become the head coach of the Lakers.

Gentry is one of the most creative offensive coaches in the league, an excellent attribute to pair with Walton, whose offenses can be among the most predictable. He also loves to play with pace, which was especially evident in his stints with the Suns and the Pelicans, making him a perfect fit for De’Aaron Fox. If Gentry’s role as associate head coach means that he will be the offensive coordinator, this would be an outstanding hire.

This position was previously filled by Igor Kokoskov last season before he left to coach Fenerbahce in Turkey. The Kings targeted former head coaches during their search process before settling on Kokoskov, who spent one year as the lead man in Phoenix. It’s good to see they set the bar similarly high in this year’s hire.