The plan from the start was to ensure that rookie coach J.J. Redick — who poked fun at his own lack of experience at his introductory press conference — was surrounded by experience.
Mission accomplished. Two former NBA players turned head coaches — Scott Brooks and Nate McMillan — have been hired as part of Redick’s staff, a story broken by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
ESPN Sources: The Los Angeles Lakers are hiring Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks as top assistant coaches on JJ Redick’s new staff. Redick gets two longtime head coaches with a combined 1,189 victories to surround him. pic.twitter.com/zRtTNlroFp
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 3, 2024
McMillan has been the head coach for 1,428 NBA games, starting in 2000 with the Seattle Supersonics. He then spent time as the head coach in Portland, Indiana, and Atlanta. He led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.
Brooks was the head coach in Oklahoma City during that team’s Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden era and led them to the NBA Finals in 2012. Brooks also was the head coach of the Wizards for five seasons.
Redick is still working to round out the rest of his staff.
That staff takes over a Lakers’ team with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and expectations that outstrip the talent on the roster (and a franchise that has yet to make any significant roster upgrades this offseason). They are in a West with 12 teams — 13 if you want to count Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs — that legitimately expect to be in the postseason. It’s a tough spot for a rookie coach to walk into.
At least Redick has good coaches by his side.
