The Los Angeles Lakers’ search for a new head coach in underway and while JJ Redick is the early favorite, other candidates like James Borrego and Sam Cassell are also in the mix.
Borrego, in particular, may have a legit chance at landing the job due to his qualifications. He is the former head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, which means he brings some experience to the table. He also helped turn the New Orleans Pelicans’ offense around this past season as an assistant.
Additionally, Borrego had some overlap as an assistant in New Orleans with Anthony Davis and is believed to have a strong relationship with the Lakers’ star big man.
So with that being the case, it is not surprising to see that the Lakers are bringing in Borrego for an in-person interview on Wednesday, via Dan Woike of the L.A. Times:
Just in: NOLA assistant coach James Borrego is scheduled for in-person interviews today according to multiple people, a significant step forwards in the Lakers coaching search
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) May 29, 2024
This appears to be the second round of interviews as the Lakers began having conversations with candidates last week. Outside of Borrego and Redick, it is hard to say who else is in the mix here.
If the Lakers remain enamored with Borrego after Wednesday’s interview then perhaps they move quickly with a hiring as he is also believed to be one of the favorite in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ search for a new head coach. They have also been looking at Kenny Atkinson though, so the Lakers could be Borrego’s only shot to get a head coaching gig this cycle.
Lakers looking at James Borrego as potential assistant?
Even if James Borrego doesn’t get hired as the Lakers’ next head coach, there may be another way for him to still join the organization and bring his offensive expertise to the table.
It was recently reported that if the Lakers hire JJ Redick as their head coach, they will look to put an experienced staff around him to make up for him never coaching before. If that is the case, L.A. is believed to be targeting Borrego, Sam Cassell and Jared Dudley as potential assistant coaches.
It remains to be seen if any of them would be interested considering they already have assistant coaching gigs elsewhere, but maybe they view coaching with Redick on the Lakers as a worthwhile move for their respective careers.
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