Over the span of his career, Stan Van Gundy has gained a reputation as one of the elite coaches in the NBA.

It seems as though one of his key abilities as a coach is his approachability and man-management, according to a recent story from Keith Langlois of NBA.com.

One of Van Gundy’s Detroit Pistons players reached out to him this summer when they needed him the most. Australian center Aron Baynes contacted his head coach shortly after missing out on a much coveted Olympic medal. Baynes wanted his leader to know that he was ready for the forthcoming season.

“Once we lost that bronze medal, I texted Stan (Van Gundy), ‘I can’t wait for the season to start,’ ” Baynes told Langlois at a voluntary team workout this week. “It’s even more so now after being around these guys and being here every day and working and just knowing what we were able to get in terms of level last year and to think we can be even better this year. It’s exciting for us.”

The Pistons organization will be encouraged by both the former San Antonio Spurs big man’s motivation and the evidently healthy player-coach relationship being maintained.