[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.
Yeah I don’t think they were particularly great coaches from an X’s and O’s perspective, but that’s not really what JJ needs. He just needs some insight and wisdom that comes from experience even about the non-basketball side of being an NBA head coach
I don’t think they’re also particularly good offensive coach, Scott was a decent defensive coach years ago
Same with Nate, they're both defense first guys
Which is good cause JJ could barely play defense. It’s hard to tell a guy what to do on defense when all you did your career was get blown by or hide with the guy in the corner
To JJ’s credit, that was more of a physical limitations issue than anything.
Edit: for clarity’s sake, JJ had a negative wingspan:height ratio.
He loves to point out he was I think the only one or one of only two players during his career that had that negative wing span too lol
I assume Yao was the other.
Not sure if that's relevant considering Scott Brooks was probably worse on defense
This isn't at all true. Some of the best coaches -- across sports, games, and activities -- are not good at certain or any aspects of that which they are coaching.
Okay thanks
Was he? Or does having serge ibaka, perk, Roberson etc really help with that? I didn’t follow him in Washington so idk if that followed with him or not to be fair.
We had a terrible defense with Scott Brooks. But our offense was pretty fun to watch when Wall was healthy
His defensive schemes were the shits when he was here. Our sub would always play his defensive drill highlights that resembled a Zumba class lol
Lmao the comments on that are great
The Wizards had some of the best offensive ratings in the league with players like Beal, Hachimura, Bertans and Thomas Bryant back in 2019. His defence sucked though.
He just needs coaches that will help him with the decision making, play calling, player rotations and minutes managment, playmaking, timeout managment, practice logistics, managing ownership expectations and leadership.
Brooks did absolutely nothing for Chauncey up here, glad he's not our problem anymore.
Seems like something that's very hard to judge from the outside. Like you guys would have sucked with prime Phil Jackson on the sidelines.
shh don't warn them
JJs gonna love Scott's Secrit Plays
Past his Prime Westbrook has re-entered the chat
Westbook*
Lebrntaco toosdayADsore backBrony
Hey now, AD played the most games of his career last season, 76! That's pretty good
Sounds like he’s about due for a sore back
Hoist the meme
This must be a piece of Cavs specific lore bc I've never seen it in my life 💀
Some guy was making these after every win during 2016 and posted them here in the post game threads. That was the first year I seriously followed the playoffs the whole time, I feel nostaligic watching this ngl
that’s fucking history right there
Honestly a great hiring, he needs respected defensive assistants to help him implement effective schemes.
Ton of good experience for JJ here
People will try to meme this in whatever way they can, but that’s a ton of HC experience and exactly what you would want for a guy with none.
The other thread about them not hiring Dwayne Casey is so melodramatic lol
Especially when Casey currently has a job in the Piston's front office. There wasn't much of a reason to move his family unless he got offered a huge bag.
And honestly at his age and how long he been in the league, he would need an unrealistically big bag for that kinda transition.
Exactly. I'm sure he had some interest, but for him it was just about having that option on the table, especially with the Pistons making front office moves. I guess his job is stable though.
clearly the Lakers are FINISHED
And not just in the NBA!
Dude Casey has had zero interest in coaching for like 5 years now.
Pistons had to give him a small countries GDP to convince him to head up that shit show
If I got fired after winning COTY, and then had to coach the fucking PISTONS, I'd have zero interest in coaching too.
Nate McMillan is the GOAT of dominating after taking over mid season for an innovative but otherwise bad coach.
The Hawks run to the ECF after firing Lloyd Pierce was the most fun I've had watching basketball in a decade
It's either that or the undefeated month under Bud where our starting 5 got named co-player of the month
Just wish both of those fleeting moments lasted longer
JVG is over the hill as a HC but was a huge part of the C’s championship this year as a consultant for Mazzula’s staff. There are fundamental management skills that take a while for a green HC to learn that will be invaluable from these guys even if they aren’t necessarily elite basketball minds
Can you say more about that? I haven't seen anything about JVG's role with them other than that he's involved somehow and am curious to know if there's more specifics out there about his contributions.
Wouldn't a HC with experience be more valuable?
It absolutely would lol
people tried to do the same thing with Darvin Ham like he isn’t a good a legitimately good assistant who the players loved in MIL
which also means he’s got 2 threats where they might outcoach him in practice which causes no players to respect him and lean towards these 2 HC instead. That’s the dynamic in play here.
Right? These are great pickups. I'm stoked.
It’s a great hire but this sub is full of low effort jokes and people who don’t actually like to discuss NBA basketball.
Tons of experience.
I’m not sure if good experience - former fanbases openly hate Scott Brooks and McMillan has fallen out with every star player he’s ever coached. Both are experts of the clogged toilet offense.
Good thing they can be overruled by a guy who’ll be eager to try out new concepts
Sounds like a recipe for success
Unironically…maybe?
Conflicting views generate conversation and you either get good feedback and incorporate it or you’re “forced” to explain in more depth why your new concepts are better.
Mazzulla believes conflict is important
Overruled by a guy that has no experience, hopefully these 2 former ex-HCs will take that in stride
Which is why they are available as assistants. Still they have lots of experience and you only get that much experience if you have had some success.
A lot of head coaches are typically much better as assistants.
I thought we all agreed that fans are terrible at evaluating coaches. Besides 4-6 teams, every fan base think their guy is replaceable at best and awful at worst. We gotta stop using fan opinions on coaches
There were calls to fire Mazzulla during the playoffs because his team wasn't winning enough for instance. I think the only coaches that aren't being sold down river by their fans after a loss is Pop and Spo
Counterpoint: built-in replacements for the mid season canning
All teams are now required to have 3 head coaches
We got our big 3! 🔥
I remember when jj was part of a "big 3" in him deandre and Chris Paul lol. My friend couldn't believe JJ Reddick was considered part of any big three
It’s as if Blake Griffin never existed
Coachflation
Why does 1 Head Coach make 99% of the profit????????
Lakers got 4 though.
That's part if Kyrie's value, he doesn't even need ONE head coach.
Scott Brooks a decade ago was coaching KD/Harden/Russ in OKC with a coach of the year award + finals appearance and now is an assistant to JJ Redick. Life can be brutal
He was just letting KD and Russ iso all game lol barely ran any plays
No it only looked that way they were secrit plays
I know this is a meme but people don't really realize TMZ got a hold of Scott's playbook and released it
Not Perk at 2!!
i mean really he should be the first option: https://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1890145/perkins.gif
I will never not laugh at this
And then The Wizards hired him specifically to try and attract KD in FA, somehow missing that KD didn’t like him
KD didn’t really like the idea of coming home iirc.
Playing for Kerr over brooks was a big deal people don't really talk about. One of biggest upgrades possible
Brooks wasn’t our coach when he left, it was Donovan at that point. And based on his tweets that were meant to be from his burner he didn’t like Donovan either
It's time for Bron and AD iso
I donno dude has a job where Lebron does all the work, JJ takes all the blame, and he's just kicking it in LA with floor seats to the Lakers.
Yeah it’s certainly not a bad life as an NBA assistant but still a huge fall from where he was and could have been if they ever won one in OKC
I mean he got let go from the Blazers after last year lol. He was awful there and in Washington
Man was behind Chauncey Billups. Hard to come back from backing a fraud.
yeah, I won't be losing any sleep crying for the tough life of a millionaire NBA coach
Everyone get out your tiny violins for poor Scott Brooks
Eh, he was Chauncey Billups assistant the last few seasons. This isn't that much worse
That is the funny thing. All of the "He is great for a first time coach" comments are exactly what Portland fans said about him being lead assistant to Billups a few years ago. Didn't really work out.
I mean they’re saying that from the perspective of him helping manage a locker room, not managing the game, which JJ seems to have covered. The Lakers have a lot more talent than y’all have had over the past few years so that obv helps
He had to coach Perkins, he didn't deserve that.
What the Washington Wizards do to a MF
Life can be brutal, but it ain’t brutal for Scott brooks. Still makes a fat bag a year to assistant coach the lakers
Just do the opposite of whatever they draw up
McMillan wasn't the greatest coach but he could be an asset to Redick by giving suggestions and Redick can just do the complete opposite
He can help JJ perfect his standing motionless with arms folded technique.
Excellent at telling the Lakers that the other team has to feel them and informing the Lakers that the other team did not in fact feel them after a loss.
Classic post-game presser cut and paste from Nate.
If we wanted help with that we would've kept Darvin around
McMillan is an old school coach. He seems like he would be an asset to someone in JJ's position. It's when McMillian is head coach you got problems.
McMillan was a basketball terrorist with the Hawks. My man loved starting out quarters with a DeAndre Hunter midrange jumper off a screen. It was harder for him to stop calling that than it was for me to kick heroin.
When they were firing Lloyd Pierce and hiring McMillan hawks fans were acting like he’s an insane coach
We were the 3rd best team after replacing Pierce with McMillan and made the ECF. It was reasonable at the time.
Nate can't draw up an out-of-bounds play, JJ can't fold his arms, they cover each other beautifully
Mr Sonic can generally coach a good defensive scheme but is lost on offense. Brooks after 3 years here I have no idea what his value is anymore.
Kind of consistent how he was as a NBA player...great at defense and meh at offense.
Scott Brooks and being an assistant coach to a head coach with 0 coaching experience two times in a row
Prob got close to becoming interim coach here. Owner just doesn’t want to pay 2 coaches.
Hiring the blazer bunch
Worked out for PHX so well 🤣
Chauncey should go be JJs mentor
one hell of a staff for jj. former good head coaches
Bunch of dudes ready to step up as an interim
They're not the step coach. They're the coach that stepped up.
the doc rivers method
Lmao scott brooks was kinda hated by the wiz
Bro couldn't figure it out with three MVPs. He deserves all the hate.
Leading candidates for interim coach
Scoot Brooks was a terrible head coach
“Good”
You live in loony land if you think McMillan was a good head coach lol
Scott’s Secrit Plays back baby
Nate "Midrange" McMillan coming in to revamp the offense?
"Just hand LeBron the ball"
Instruction unclear, handing the ball to LeBron Jr
No joke, give me more AD mid-range
He will get comfortable, alter his shot diet to include more jumpers, and maybe just maybe he'll average 4 3PA per game
Nate is a fucking awful head coach.
Probably a really fucking good assistant.
just like Darvin Hamas lol
was a great assistant with the Bucks, abysmal as a head coach with the Lakers
If I'm a falling role player who's on his way out of the league, Darvin Ham is my Jesus
Taureance Prince and Cam Reddish have shrines set up to the guy. I bet the Pistons would love Darvin.
He's just limited. Great, even elite defensive coach. There is another side of the ball, though.
I remember when y’all hired him and then made the ECF and everyone was like “is Indiana Pacers racist for letting go of a black coach” I was just sitting back laughing because first of that’s so fucking stupid, second off because the inevitable of Nate just shitting the bed and the team falling apart was bound to happen. This guy is a basketball terrorist and has no clue how to run an offense. He’s a fucking joke.
when jj redick’s podcast brain offense doesn’t work they can rely on nate mcmillan’s “please do something i don’t know how i got this job” offense
And if that fails, Scott’s secrit plays are there to save the day
I want to make a joke about it needing three head coaches to change a light bulb for the LA lakers, but then i remembered my team's only championship came on the back of a triple headcoach coaching team.
Time for some new JJ's secrit plays
Really a great move. We saw with Joe Mazz in year 1 when he was unexpectedly thrust into the role that he could have used some help from veteran assistants (ie the whole never calling time outs rhetoric)
I think Kerr did something similar when he first started in GSW.
Billups also did it in Portland with....... Scott Brooks
Time to go through old JJ pods to see if he ever shit on Brooks or Mcmillans coaching
But everybody told me no coach wanted to work under JJ
They tryna get his spot lol.
Same tired take people made about Jason Kidd on Vogel’s staff the year we won the championship 🥱
They're getting paid more than usual assistant's salary.
We are so back
Casey removed his name because he wasn’t getting hired and everyone used it as a way to dunk this morning lmao
The Portland lakers
JJ Redick, Nate, and Scott have a combined 1,189 victories.
Usually takes Nate McMillan a couple years as assistant to take over as interim/main. Countdown starts today
He had to be coaxed by our ownership and front office to take the full time job after the ECF run.
I don't think he wants to be a HC ever again with how long it took to convince him in that position and the results that followed
I love the pictures they chose. Real tough leadership looking men to be JJ’s lieutenants.
So when you get hired with no experience just hire people that have experience to do the work for you.
"1,189 victories" is nice spin from Woj
Quick Google tells me 1,082 losses lol
Which one takes over if JJ gets fired?
LeBron
Which one pretends to take over if JJ gets fired?
Lakers hired real coaches to support their new mascot
Elite hires tbh. The Lakers roster isn't great, but this staff is setting up JJ for success
Make some trades robert
Is it weird that I'm actually kinda agreeing with lakers moves rn. Sure JJ is new but with these 2 in his back pocket and a strong relationship with lebron and most likely AD as well, this could be something. Knecht breaking out would really put this over the edge
actually really great hires, tbh
Watch Nate McMillan become head coach again if JJ flames out.
you mean potential interim HCs if Redick gets the axe
Scott Brooks secrit plays back on the menu with LeBron
lakers get their guys (?)
A real coaching staff behind JJ thank god. I thought he was going to hire Rondo as his lead assistant.
This is like bringing in the CEO and a VP of Popeyes to be an assistant manager. I LIKE IT.
signed not one but two coaches from the George Karl coaching tree, the former also being his favorite player from his Seattle days. the GK hate towards the Lakers this season will be Meet The Grahams level.
Cool, you got the assistants with former head coaching experience. Now please get offensive and defensive coordinators that know what they're doing to help JJ on that front.
That's quite a brain trust.
Hopefully the unify under one vision, leadership by committee can really backfire.
Ok now announce the Grant trade….lol
Lakers hired 2 real coaches.
Help I’m having Nash hiring D’Antonie flashbacks.
Fans have absolutely no way to evaluate assistant coaches in the NBA. They can barely evaluate head coaches.
Am I the only one surprised that McMillan has almost 1.5x as many wins as Brooks? I had no idea he coached the SuperSonics but his Pacers and Hawks tenure was still very fresh in my mind
It’s hard to see this as anything other than positive for them
TIL I learned J.J. Redick's replacement is Nate McMillan.
You know these 2 took the job betting jj is gonna fail
Does anything matter with that roster?
They aint going no where and it won't be because of jj.
Rip, Nate is horrible
2 head coaches for assistance and a never been coach to lead why the fuck would you not just have reddick as an assistant
Speaking from experience you don’t want Scott Brooks anywhere near your organization. The league has passed him by
jj is going to get ejected every game and spin the bottle if McMillan or brooks is going to take over coaching for the rest of the game.
can't game plan against a team if they've got 3 head coaches and you don't know what style you're going up against.
5d chess move
Combined the 3 of them why have 1189 wins.
Why have one cook when you can have three, right?
Now combine the losses
Still can't believe the Lakers went full brain rot and hired podcast man as their head coach
It’s not the Lakers we know them…this is the past dr buss era…we are more trash than ever.
This JJ experiment will be a disaster by December.
Hawks and Blazers fans. Do you want to let them know about Nate McMillian or should we?
Hey at least Nate McMillan won’t be able to continue his trend of not playing young players with their newest draftee’s father on the team
He's probably taking this job purely in the hope that he'll be able to keep Dalton Knecht out of the rotation.
They’ll find out soon enough
AND Brooks. He had been lead assistant on the Blazers for Billups until a demotion. Then he didn't get his contract renewed.
Brooks was the lead assistant in Portland, demoted to player development because he sucked at it, and then got fired from doing player development
Good work, Rob
Those two obviously have somewhat questionable histories as head coaches but they have seen it all and they've scouted and done the leg work around the league. They know what it means to be a coach of professional basketball players. JJ definitely gonna need those people around him to guide him a bit. Mazzula did that and we saw how it paid off this year.