The Los Angeles Lakers surrounded their new Head Coach JJ Redick with veteran coaches with good records and high-level experience. This strategic move by the Los Angeles Lakers should help their long-term strategy to assist Redick and Bronny James in the future.
As per Adrain Wojnarowski:
“The Los Angeles Lakers are hiring Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks as top assistant coaches on JJ Redick’s new staff. Redick gets two longtime head coaches with a combined 1,189 victories to surround him.”
Thus, what does this mean for the Lakers franchise? And will JJ Redick be the Lakers’ head coach for more than two years?
Los Angeles Lakers Offseason So Far
After losing in the first round of the 2024 playoffs to the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers fired Darvin Ham to hire JJ Redick on a four-year contract offer. Now, the Los Angeles Lakers have completed most of their offseason plans after hiring Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks as top assistants for their franchise.
Following this hire, the Los Angeles Lakers signed four-time NBA Champ Small Forward LeBron James with an extension contract of two years after he opted out of his player option. Therefore he will earn a total of $104 million in the next two years with a player option and no-trade clause.
Also, the Lakers franchise signed their No. 55 draft pick, Bronny James offering him a four-year contract of $7.9 million with a player option available. Thus, the Lakers guard will be part of their team’s roster for the 2024-25 season.
Potentials of the Lakers’ Top Assistant Coach
Nate McMillan
Nate McMillan was fired on the 21st of February from the Atlanta Hawks as their Head Coach in the 2023-24 season. He replaced Lloyd Pierce as an interim coach and won 99 games, losing 80 games.
McMillan also led the Atlanta Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021 which led to him being rewarded with a four-year contract extension. His career record is 760-688.
McMillan coached the Seattle SuperSonics for five seasons, the Portland Trail Blazers for seven seasons, and the Indiana Pacers for four seasons. With this experience, Nate McMillan would help groom JJ Redick who doesn’t have coaching experience to come out on top of his game.
Also, McMillian brings his experience of 11 playoff trips throughout his NBA career. Therefore, the Lakers still have the hope of making the 2025 NBA Playoffs with this new hire.
Scott Brooks
Scott Brooks was the former assistant head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. Before working with the Blazers franchise, Brooks was the head coach of the Washington Wizards for five seasons (2016-2021).
Also, he coached the Oklahoma City Thunder for seven seasons and led the team to the NBA Finals in 2012. As a head coach, he recorded 521 wins out of 935 games.
Brooks has the potential to develop the youngsters of the Los Angeles Lakers team. He helped develop Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook while he coached them with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Finally, Scott Brooks’ playoff record as a head coach is decent as he won 49 out of 97 postseason games.
Final Thoughts: Will JJ Redick Be The Lakers Head Coach Long-Term?
The Lakers have a streak of firing their coach after two years of inconsistency. With these new signings, Redick might be a Lakers head coach for more than two years. Even better, the Lakers head coach could exhaust his four-year contract with the franchise.
The Lakers desire to maintain a long-term and short-term approach moving forward into the future. JJ Redick is a young head coach with only playing experience, however, he has the potential to convert his basketball knowledge into real-time performance on the court with results.
About the Author
Wisdom is an email and brand copywriter with two years of content writing experience. He started Cloud Kitchen Concept to help startups and business owners elevate their brands from good to great. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and Instagram to enjoy cooked meals for your business’s growth.
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