After a pair of successful seasons, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel will have some new coaches on his staff for the 2021-22 season.
The big loss is Jason Kidd, who was Vogel’s lead assistant the last two years but was recently hired to be the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Lakers have already found a replacement for Kidd, however, hiring David Fizdale as an assistant, which brings a ton of experience as well as a close relationship with LeBron James to the bench.
It appears Kidd is not the only coach that will have to be replaced though as Marc Stein of the New York Times is reporting that he is bringing Greg St. Jean with him to Dallas::
The Mavericks have an opening for a lead assistant after Orlando hired Jamahl Mosley as its new head coach.
Detroit's Sean Sweeney was the first to join Kidd's coaching staff. The Lakers' Greg. St. Jean, who worked alongside Kidd in LA, is also expected to join the Mavericks.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 15, 2021
Shortly after Kidd took the job with the Mavericks, it was reported that he may bring some Lakers assistants with him, so this doesn’t come as a huge surprise.
St. Jean has been with the Lakers the last two seasons, serving as an advance scout and player development coach. He is believed to be very close with Kidd, and this move will likely give him an opportunity at a bigger role.
Before coming to the Lakers, St. Jean also worked in the Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings organizations as well as at St. Johns.
Handy interviewed with Wizards
One of the Lakers’ other assistant coaches focused on player development, Phil Handy, recently interviewed for the head coaching vacancy with the Washington Wizards.
While the Wizards appear to be going in a different direction and hiring Wes Unseld Jr., it is good to see Handy receiving some recognition for his hard work. He will likely remain with the Lakers for at least one more season but should receive more head coaching interest in the future.
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