The Los Angeles Lakers have spent the past few weeks evaluating candidates for their vacant head coaching position, but the sense around the league is ESPN broadcaster and former NBA shooting guard JJ Redick is the frontrunner for the job.
Redick previously interviewed for the Charlotte Hornets head coaching gig before they hired Charles Lee, making him available to the Lakers should they choose to go that route. Redick by all accounts has a deep understanding and knowledge of X’s and O’s and it also doesn’t hurt he co-hosts a podcast with LeBron James.
Although Los Angeles is in the midst of interviewing other candidates, it sounds like the head coaching job is Redick’s to lose at this point of the process. With Redick still bound to ESPN through the duration of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, a hiring likely won’t happen until the Finals have concluded.
However, it appears that the Lakers have begun to think about potential additions to the coaching staff that include names like Scott Brooks and Rajon Rondo, via Dan Woike of L.A. Times:
“Rumors of the Lakers’ staffing plans have run throughout the league during the past two weeks, with some names most commonly mentioned including former head coach Scott Brooks and assistants Sam Cassell and Jared Dudley. Ex-Lakers guard Rajon Rondo has also been under consideration, according to people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.”
Brooks has head coaching experience after stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Wizards but has been serving as an assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers the past few seasons. The more interesting name is Rondo, who, like Redick, doesn’t have previous coaching experience but is a former player with a knack for schemes.
Rondo also has relationships with Anthony Davis and James as he was part of the 2020 NBA Championship team, an important factor to consider when evaluating his fit as an assistant coach. With all the noise about potential coaching staff additions, it feels like a matter of time until Redick is announced as the franchise’s next head coach.
Sam Cassell, James Borrego and Jared Dudley options for Lakers coaching staff
Sam Cassell and James Borrego were listed as candidates for Los Angeles’ head coaching job, however, the organization still seems to want to bring them in in some capacity if they don’t get the job. The same could be said for Jared Dudley, who is currently serving as an assistant for the Dallas Mavericks.
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