The Knicks will at instances be with out an integral member of the teaching employees.
Assistant coach Chris Jent will be away from the workforce for an undisclosed interval of time for private causes, The Post has discovered. He is expected to miss video games in the close to future but the scenario is fluid.
Jent — the affiliate head coach who is in cost of the offense — was not on the bench for the second and third video games of the season, lacking losses to the Celtics in Boston and Magic at Madison Square Garden. He will not be with the workforce during Tuesday night time’s sport against the Pistons at MSG either, according to league sources.
OG Anunoby (l.) sits with Knicks assistant Chris Jent before Game 4 of the NBA Finals on June 10, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
Assistant T.J. Saint crammed his position on the entrance of the bench during these two video games and was seen with a clipboard main huddles during timeouts. Saint was the Knicks’ Summer League coach this 12 months and will proceed to be on the entrance of the bench for video games that Jent misses, according to league sources.
Jent, 56, was current for the Knicks’ season-opening loss to the 76ers at MSG and was half of the workforce’s championship ceremony before the sport.
He is one of the most revered assistants across the league and was instrumental in the change to the Knicks’ offensive scheme after falling behind to a 2-1 collection deficit to the Hawks in the first spherical of the playoffs last 12 months. He helped implement a system that featured Karl-Anthony Towns as a “hub” at the elbows, which created higher pictures for Jalen Brunson, introduced out the greatest in OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges and helped gasoline the workforce’s championship run.
This is Jent’s second season as an assistant with the Knicks after head coach Mike Brown introduced him in as half of his employees last 12 months. Jent interviewed for the Blazers’ head coach opening this previous offseason, though Brown thought he should have been an even greater head teaching candidate.
“He’s been around for a long time,” Brown said after the Knicks won the championship. “Somebody needs to give him an interview because he’ll help your team win at the highest level.”
Jent had a transient 18-game stint as the Magic’s interim head coach to finish the 2004-05 season. Otherwise, he’s been an NBA assistant coach for 18 seasons for eight completely different groups – the 76ers, Magic, Cavaliers, Kings, Hawks, Lakers, Hornets and Knicks.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown (r.) seems to be on with assistants Chris Jent (c.) and Rick Brunson (l.) during the Ring Ceremony prior to the sport against the 76ers at MSG on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. Getty Images
A former Ohio State star as a participant, Jent had a transient NBA enjoying profession — including enjoying three video games with the Knicks during the 1996-97 season. He was also half of the Rockets’ championship workforce in 1993-94. He spent most of his enjoying profession abroad.
He beforehand labored on Brown’s employees with the Cavs, where he garnered reward from LeBron James as his private taking pictures coach. Jent and LeBron later reunited with the Lakers.
Jent has a wealth of data that is extremely valued all through the Knicks group.
They’ll at instances have to discover a manner to exchange that.