The Los Angeles Lakers are making a new addition to their coaching staff by hiring Duke Blue Devils director of player development Justin Robinson.
Robinson moves to L.A. as a player development coach, which has become a big emphasis in the organization when they hired JJ Redick last summer. The first guinea pigs were 2024 draft picks Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, who both showcased positives signs through their respective rookie seasons.
Duke University speaks for itself in producing NBA talent, notably in this year’s draft class with No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, No. 4 pick Kon Knueppel and No. 10 pick Khaman Maluach. Hopefully, Robinson is able to utilize his skills with the Lakers with Duke announcing that he will be joining Redick’s staff as a player development coach:
Congrats to our guy J-Rob!
Nice addition to the @Lakers staff! pic.twitter.com/wFwP3NSFDV
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) July 6, 2025
Given L.A.’s championship focus year in and year out, this is a change of pace, but a needed one. With this new CBA in effect, teams need to make every asset count and bringing in cost-controlled draft prospects is crucial.
That means that scouting departments need to find players that fit their situation and then the organizations needs to develop them accordingly. Now that Robinson is in the fold, he gets to work with Knecht, James and new second-round pick Adou Thiero, among others.
Presumably, Robinson played a key role in Flagg, Knueppel and Maluach’s development at Duke. Those three players speak for themselves as lottery talents, but his ability to develop later picks will be intriguing to monitor. Redick has made it a point to bring in the best staff possible and given the Duke connection, he likely feels strongly about addition Robinson to the mix.
Lakers guard Dalton Knecht doing 3-a-day workouts this offseason
Coming off an up-and-down rookie season, Dalton Knecht is looking to make a leap for the Lakers in Year 2. He was involved in a trade that got rescinded and then found himself out of JJ Redick’s rotation, so Knecht knows he must improve in order to reach his full potential.
With that being the case, the former Tennessee Volunteer revealed that he has been doing three-a-day workouts ever since L.A. was eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Hopefully, that hard work translates to on-court production in the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League where he will be able to showcase his progress.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
