Following an early first-round exit last season, the Los Angeles Lakers opted to clean house with their coaching staff and start fresh. Ultimately, L.A. hired JJ Redick, who is coming in with no previous head coaching experience. With Summer League beginning shortly after the hiring, Redick decided to not coach and put South Bay Lakers head coach Dane Johnson at the helm.
But Johnson did not put together a coaching clinic as the Lakers looked all out of sorts on both sides of the floor through three games at the California Classic. However, they salvaged a rocky start by winning three straight to close out their summer in Las Vegas.
All in all, it seems that Johnson’s one year with the South Bay Lakers, the organization’s G League affiliate, and eight games of Summer League were not enough to keep his job. On Friday, South Bay announced that they have parted ways with Johnson after one season as head coach:
The South Bay Lakers have parted ways with Head Coach Dane Johnson.
Johnson led South Bay to a 26-24 overall record in the 2023-24 G League season. During his tenure as head coach, four players earned NBA Call-Ups.
— South Bay Lakers (@SouthBayLakers) August 9, 2024
An emphasis that general manager Rob Pelinka and Redick are making is building a program and developing young talent in-house. Under the new CBA, there is a greater need to draft and develop well instead of simply spending endless amounts of money to build a championship contender.
The G League is going to become a more vital tool for organizations to scavenge for talent. While South Bay produced four NBA call-ups under Johnson, it has been a while since someone from the G League has made a real impact for the Lakers.
There is no rush to fill that vacancy, but seeing how Redick wants someone to spearhead player development, that is a quality L.A. will look for in their next head coach of South Bay.
Lakers Summer League head coach Dane Johnson discusses Bronny James’ progress
This year’s draft class is considered to be patient zero for the Lakers as they begin to explore the newfound importance of player development. With Bronny James and Dalton Knecht as L.A.’s two newest rookies, it will be intriguing to see what kind of players they turn into.
Before he was let go, Dane Johnson got to coach both of them for a handful of games in Summer League. All eyes were on James and Johnson discussed his progress so far with some NBA games under his belt.
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