After the Los Angeles Lakers announced the hiring of JJ Redick, they made it clear that they wanted at least two former head coaches on his staff to make up for his lack of experience.
Redick has never coached before at any level and although he seems to be a bright basketball mind, there will be a learning curve for him in his first season at the helm.
With that being the case, the Lakers targeted assistant coaching options with a ton of experience. It appears they have finally landed on their two former head coaches as according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, they are hiring Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks:
ESPN Sources: 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. pic.twitter.com/zRtTNlroFp
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 3, 2024
McMillan, in particular, is a nice get for the Lakers as he has been coaching in the NBA for almost three decades. He served as the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers from 2005-12, Indiana Pacers from 2016-20 and Atlanta Hawks from 2021-23.
He also has previously been an assistant coach for Team USA in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics so has a past relationship with Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Brooks is a name that has been linked to the Lakers for a while now and also brings a ton of head coaching experience to the table. He was the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2008-15 and Washington Wizards from 2016-21 before most recently being an assistant with the Trail Blazers.
While Redick still has some spots on his coaching staff to fill, it is good to see there is finally some movement there and he was able to bring in a pair of former head coaches like he and the Lakers wanted.
Dwane Casey rejected spot on Lakers staff
One other former head coach that had been linked to the Lakers and JJ Redick’s staff was Dwane Casey, who is currently in the Detroit Pistons’ front office.
Ultimately though, he decided not to move his family across the country and withdrew his name from consideration.
Now that the Lakers have landed two former head coaches though, they will likely go with younger options to fill out their staff. Rajon Rondo is a name that has also been linked to the Lakers but it remains to be seen if that is still the case.
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