By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Los Angeles Lakers will surround newly hired head coach JJ Redick with an immense amount of basketball knowledge by hiring Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks as the franchise’s top assistant mentors.
Los Angeles’ second major offseason coaching development was confirmed by ESPN’s veteran NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski on July 4, 2024.
With Redick being rewarded with his first head coaching post in the league, the Lakers believe that deploying two experienced former head coaches will help him generate more opportunities within the team’s rebuilding system.
McMillan began his coaching career as an assistant for the Seattle Supersonics in 1998. After three years as an assistant, he earned his first break in the NBA by securing the head coaching position in 2000.
After leading the team to numerous postseason stints, McMillan was hired by the Portland Trail Blazers and spent seven years with the franchise. His most memorable coaching run in the past five years was when he led the Atlanta Hawks to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in the 2020-2021 NBA season.
Despite losing to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, McMillan’s run was considered one of the most impressive underdog stories, where they dispatched Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers in the earlier playoff round.
Now, McMillan is ready to get back to drawing up plays and will work side-by-side with Redick once the NBA season kicks off this October.
Meanwhile, Brooks, the former head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder who led them to the 2012 NBA Finals, agreed to a new contract with the Lakers after three years in Portland.
Known for maximizing the skill sets of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden in Oklahoma, Brooks’ stock immediately rose after the 2012 season.
However, Brooks failed to bring Oklahoma back to the Finals and was released by the franchise in 2016. He then moved to the Eastern Conference to coach the Washington Wizards.
The trio of Redick, McMillan, and Brooks will work together once the Lakers training camp begins in preparation for the upcoming NBA season.
