The Los Angeles Lakers are set to undergo some changes to both their roster and coaching staff this offseason. However, they are not the only ones with their G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, set to part ways with head coach Coby Karl.
Karl has played an integral role in helping develop the team’s young talent for the next level. The list includes current and former players such as Alex Caruso, Talen Horton-Tucker, Ivica Zubac and Thomas Bryant.
Unfortunately, South Bay has struggled over the last two seasons and recently took to social media to thank Karl for his efforts. He has since returned the favor after posting a heartfelt goodbye to the Purple and Gold on Instagram:
Karl’s time with the Lakers began when he made the roster as an undrafted free agent back in 2007. He and his father George, who was head coach of the Denver Nuggets at the time, even made history after becoming the first father-son duo to play each other in a playoff game.
Karl eventually took over as head coach of the Lakers’ affiliate team in 2016. He played a major role in refining the young talent the organization was bringing in and even led them to the G-League conference finals in 2018.
South Bay then followed up with back-to-back underwhelming seasons by finishing 21-29 in 2019 and 19-25 in 2020. As a result, they will now look for a new head coach to help develop their young talent this offseason.
Lakers hold workout for Jaden Springer, Ayo Dosunmu & 4 others
The Lakers will have an opportunity to kickstart the process of bringing in. more youthful talent with the No. 22 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. There are a number of intriguing prospects that may be available at this point in the first round so the team has already done its due diligence on a wide range of them.
The Lakers recently announced that they held a pre-draft workout for six prospects including West Virginia’s Mile McBride, Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu, Seton Hall’s Sandro Mamukelashvili, Texas Tech’s Mac McClung, Tennessee’s Jaden Springer and Florida State’s Balsa Koprivica.
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