When JJ Redick decided not to coach the Los Angeles Lakers in Summer League, the reason he gave was that he was focused on putting his coaching staff together.
Being a first-time head coach, having a lot of experience around Redick was extremely important to him. He was able to bring in two former head coaches in Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks, and also had been able to add Greg St. Jean, Lindsey Harding and Bob Beyer to round out the staff.
The Lakers are putting a huge focus on player development moving forward though with Redick saying they will add a director of player development.
It appears they may have found their man in Beau Levesque, who was previously with the L.A. Clippers, per Dan Woike of the L.A. Times:
As the Lakers finalize their staffing, the name I’m hearing is Clippers development coordinator Beau Levesque – well regarded for his on-court work with players and his organization.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) July 18, 2024
Levesque graduated from Saint Mary’s College with a degree in Sports Management, playing basketball there from 2009-14. He played two seasons professionally in Spain.
After his playing days were over, Levesque served as a graduate assistant for the St. John’s University Men’s Basketball Team for two years, getting a sports management masters degree with a coaching focus. He then worked for the Brooklyn Nets for two seasons doing both player development and video before becoming a player development coordinator/ assistant video coordinator for the Clippers.
The Lakers currently have a lot of young talent on their roster, and Levesque will be tasking with developing guys such as Max Christie, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Maxwell Lewis, Dalton Knecht, Bronny James and more.
Rich Paul: Jeanie Buss made decision for Lakers to draft Bronny James
The Lakers drafting Bronny James in the second round has been met with a lot of criticism, especially with him struggling in Summer League.
His agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports recently revealed that the decision to draft Bronny was made by Lakers owner Jeanie Buss.
“Look, Jeanie Buss decided that she’s making this call, and she’s been able to see Bronny in all aspects not only from a basketball perspective but also from a character perspective. And he has everything that aligns with the Laker brand. And so, you have to make that type of call. At the end of the day, we’re not going to spend too much time on that. Bronny has to work his way, and he will.”
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