The Los Angeles Lakers are looking for their third coach in four years.
Again, L.A. is expected to sign a former player who has never coached at the NBA level. JJ Redick has been cited as the favorite for the franchise’s next head coach. Like the recently fired Darvin Ham, the next Lakers coach will walk into an uncertain situation.
LeBron James is set to turn 40 in December. It’s fair to question what the franchise’s ceiling can be with an aging James regardless of how well he’s doing in his battle against Father Time.
Will the Lakers’ next coach be given the patience to build a new culture, or will expectations and impatience make it another short stint?
JJ Redick to Los Angeles Rumors Heating Up
NBA insider would be floored if L.A. doesn’t hire Redick
Each of the last six Lakers coaches has lasted no more than three seasons, even with a championship in that stretch. That trend continued when Darvin Ham was fired after only two years on the job. Adding to the pressure of finding a coach is ensuring they keep their championship window open before the end of James’ career.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to hire JJ Redick as their new head coach, as he stated on the Dan Patrick Show. Redick and James co-host the “Mind The Game” podcast.
“I will be very surprised if their next Head Coach is anybody but JJ Redick. Everything that I’m hearing is JJ Redick. From what I know he’s doing some background, calling some assistant coaching candidates who might be able to join his staff.” -@ChrisBHaynes on #Lakers next HC pic.twitter.com/XipwSlN6wo — Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) May 29, 2024
According to NBA Insiders Jovan Buha and Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Lakers see Redick as having Pat Riley potential.
“Leaguewide, Redick — a former player and media analyst — has garnered buzz for the position. The Lakers are infatuated with Redick’s potential, according to league sources, viewing him as a Pat Riley-like coaching prospect who could both help the franchise in the short term and lead it for years. Riley, a nine-year NBA veteran as a player, was a broadcaster for the Lakers from 1977 to 1979 before making the leap to assistant coach in 1979 and then eventually head coach in 1981.” – Jovan Buha and Shams Charania
L.A. Keeping The Door Open for Other Candidates?
Although Redick is reportedly option #1, who’s left?
The franchise’s next coach will be tasked with guiding the end of the LeBron James–Anthony Davis era. L.A. needs someone in charge who earns James and Davis’ respect while utilizing the superstars to maximize their abilities. The Lakers have been very tight-lipped about the search process to date. Still, numerous reports have linked them to several current and former head coaches.
L.A. reportedly held out hope their crosstown rival Los Angeles Clippers wouldn’t extend Ty Lue’s contract. With the Clippers extending Lue’s contract through the 2028-29 season, that hope for the Lakers is crushed.
New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach James Borrego is scheduled for in-person meetings Wednesday at the Lakers’ practice facility. He worked with the Pelicans last season following a four-year stint with the Charlotte Hornets, where he went 138-163. In his final season with the Hornets, Borrego led Charlotte to a 43-39 record.
The latest on the Lakers coaching search for NBA Today, including Pelicans top assistant James Borrego meeting again with organization in LA today pic.twitter.com/OpUkSVeuRI — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 29, 2024
The Lakers went 47-35 this season. They lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs in five games. The Lakers fired Darvin Ham after two seasons. Ham went 90-74 in the regular season and 9-12 in the postseason. Putting a rookie head coach in charge in 2022 was a controversial move. Yet, here the Lakers are, two years later, close to doing the same.
