Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick worked meticulously to fill out his coaching staff when he was hired this offseason. One thing he made clear was that he wanted a couple of assistant coaches with prior head coaching experience and he got that with both Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks.
Brooks is most notable for being the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder and leading that franchise to its only NBA Finals appearance in 2012. He also spent time as head coach of the Washington Wizards and was most recently an assistant on the Portland Trail Blazers before joining the Lakers this offseason.
And Brooks, who was born in French Camp, California and played his college ball at UC Irvine, is extremely happy to finally be able to join this Lakers franchise after so long in the professional basketball world, via Taylor Geas of Lakers.com:
“I grew up in California,” Brooks said. “It’s taken me 37 years to be a Laker. I can’t wait to get to the practice facility every morning.”
That energy and enthusiasm from the coaching staff is exactly what Redick was looking for when he made the hires. The Lakers coach said that anyone on his staff had to be a “basketball sicko” and Brooks obviously fits the bill and is ready to help this franchise win.
Brooks has more than 500 career head coaching wins and has experienced success at the highest of levels. But the energy and willingness to put in the work is the most important thing and that has always been at the core of what Brooks is about.
With the Lakers making few roster moves this summer, the biggest change comes from coaching and what this staff brings to the table can help to improve this team greatly. Brooks is a big part of that and the effect that these Lakers coaches are having is already apparent.
JJ Redick takes accountability for Lakers first loss of the season
The Lakers got off to a strong 3-0 start to the season before suffering their first loss against the Phoenix Suns. Even though they came up short, there were still positives to take away from the contest, but when it came down to it, head coach JJ Redick took the blame for the loss.
Redick felt that he was the piece of the Lakers that deserved to be nitpicked and pointed out many moves he felt he could’ve made to help his team come out on top. In the end however, Redick still praised the Lakers for their competitiveness throughout and execution down the stretch.
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