Sacramento Kings veteran Trevor Ariza could not hide his excitement over the hiring of trainer Rico Hines. Ariza said that the Kings found a gem in Hines, who was hired as a player development coach.
Ariza told Jordan Ramirez of Kings.com that he was very thrilled when he learned that Hines will be in Sacramento. The 34-year-old forward, who has worked with Hines since he was 18, said that all players will benefit from the presence of the new Kings assistant coach.
The one-time NBA champion forward said that Hines' work ethic and energy is very infectious. Ariza described Hines as a “gym rat” and a trainer who is always looking for ways to make his players improve.
“Once I found out that he was coming here, I just knew that for all the players, everybody involved, the energy that he brings every day, it's infectious,” Ariza said. “Getting on the court, being around him, he's an unbelievable person, first and foremost. He's a gym rat as well. He's always in the gym.”
Hines previously served as an assistant coach of the Stockton Kings last season. He is also being credited for the development of Pascal Siakam, who was named as the 2019 NBA Most Improved Player. In his first few weeks at the job, he has already worked with Ariza and incoming second-year forward Marvin Bagley III.
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