The Los Angeles Lakers have had a quiet NBA offseason. Apart from most of their 2023-24 roster picking up their player options, the team is relatively stagnant. Instead, the big change for them has come in the form of a head coaching replacement. After less-than-ideal results under head coach Darvin Ham, the team is instead pivoting to another first-time coach.
After over a decade in the NBA as a sharpshooting specialist, JJ Redick will take over head coaching responsibilities for the purple and gold. As a first-time head coach, he could face immense pressure.
But the front office has done a good job of building out a roster of coaching staff along with him. Whether experienced veterans or player development specialists, the staff has become elite. The latest development to the coaching ranks came in the form of a G-League team of a nearby neighbor.
Due to his podcast alongside current Laker LeBron James, the Redick move was met with a ton of scrutiny. In addition to their relationship, his relative inexperience was the biggest red flag for most pundits. But, quickly, the team has built a cast and crew of major big guns in the coaching ranks. The team in Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks has two coaches with long tenures in the league.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: JJ Redick, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
While neither Nate nor Brooks ever got to championship gold, the two have a ton of experience in the Western Conference and with long postseason runs. Their expertise should be a stabilizing guide for the younger Redick.
In Greg St. Jean, the locker room gets a familiar face as Jean was on the staff for coach Frank Vogel during LA’s 2020 NBA Championship run. Since then, he has served tenures under Jason Kidd in Dallas and with the Phoenix Suns last season.
The latest addition to this crew is Redick’s old partner. A player development coach during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers and earlier at Duke, the Lakers are getting the services of Lindsay Harding. Harding, the head coach of the Stockton Kings and the G-League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings, brings a familiar face to the Redick staff.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: JJ Redick, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
In particular, their relationship gives him a steady hand and a proven commodity for the player development role. Previously, the role was with Phil Handy for Los Angeles, a coveted name in the coaching circles. The entire coaching staff was let go as part of the Darvin Ham firing. However, whether Phil will return to the team remains to be seen.
The offseason is typically an exciting time for a Lakers fan. Thanks to the market’s allure and the franchise’s legacy, players line up to sign with them. However, this year has been far from the case. Instead, the team has struck out on every name available. After initial reports of LeBron James being open to taking a pay cut for the first time since The Decision, the team couldn’t get any of the names on James’ list.
Instead, they saw teams like the Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, and even the Washington Wizards sign guys like Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan, Buddy Hield, and Jonas Valanciunas, respectively.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: JJ Redick, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Similarly, neither Rob Pelinka nor the front office have made significant changes via trade. With the Zach Lavine name swirling around perpetually and guys like Lauri Markkanen a surefire bet, no move has come to fruition.
As a result, the team that the Denver Nuggets thrashed for the second straight season in the first round of the NBA playoffs is essentially returning unchanged. It remains to be seen whether a lottery hit in Dalton Knecht can prove to be the difference. But so far, the Lakers’ free agency and offseason have been far from golden.
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