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Two Former Lakers Under Consideration for Coaching Staff

Apr 3, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) talks with Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

While there are no clear answers in the Lakers’ head coaching search, new reports revealed the names being considered for their assistant coaching roles, including two very familiar faces to fans of the purple and gold.

Two Former Lakers Under Consideration for Coaching Staff

Background

After the Lakers met with current Pelicans assistant James Borrego, LA Times beat writer Dan Woike highlighted several candidates rumored to join the staff next season.

“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. Cassell spoke to Pelinka about the Lakers’ head coaching position during a video call prior to this week, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Ex-Lakers guard Rajon Rondo has also been under consideration.”

Woike added that Sam Cassell and Jared Dudley “could be in line for promotions within their current organizations”—the Celtics and Mavericks, respectively. Former Lakers assistant Greg St. Jean, one of Frank Vogel’s assistants from 2019 to 2021, is another name to watch. Borrego and Cassell are two head coaching candidates who could still join the team’s bench if they don’t earn the lead role.

Former Players Returning as Coaches

Among the notable prospective hires are Dudley and Rajon Rondo, two highly-respected veterans who were part of the Lakers’ last championship run in 2020.

Jared Dudley

Dudley joined the Lakers in the last two seasons of his 14-year career. While he didn’t see many minutes on the court, much of his impact came off of it. His leadership became crucial in the NBA Bubble:

“While the Lakers were kept away from the outside world, it was Dudley who was once again one of the loudest voices in the room, befriending the veterans, mentoring the young players and echoing the coaching staff’s teachings while serving as the glue that helped the locker room stay together in an environment when we saw so many other teams splinter apart. He was arguably the perfect type of player to have at the end of the bench under these specific circumstances, and probably more key to the Lakers’ success as a result than he would’ve been during a normal year.”

In his 2021 exit interview, Dudley reflected on his role as a mentor, ensuring the team’s chemistry remained high:

“There were no problems these last few years since I’ve been in the locker room. No beef, not any problems, just good chemistry. When we won the chip it was phenomenal chemistry. That’s part of my job to make sure that happens. And if it doesn’t happen, then it means I did a poor job.”

Following his retirement, Dudley quickly eased into a coaching career, serving as an assistant under ex-Lakers assistant Jason Kidd for the past three seasons. His experience as a mentor and leader as both a player and coach has been critical for both the Lakers and Mavericks as of late. With these traits and more, the 38-year-old would be a valuable addition for whoever the Lakers decide to hire.

Rajon Rondo

The 6’1” floor general recently wrapped up a standout career in the NBA. Rondo’s 16 seasons in the Association brought him two NBA titles—one with the Celtics in 2008 and another with the Lakers in 2020. He also earned four All-Star appearances, four All-Defensive team nods, and spots on the 2012 All-NBA Third Team and 2007 All-Rookie Second Team.

Ever since he hung up his jersey, fans have clamored for Rondo to get a shot at coaching in the NBA. LeBron James has wondered why Rondo hasn’t gotten into coaching yet, believing his former teammate simply doesn’t want to do it.

This new report has brought some excitement to Lakers fans, who believe Rondo’s skyhigh hoops IQ would benefit the team tremendously.

Rondo is undoubtedly one of the smartest minds in basketball. When it comes to his readiness to lead a team from the sidelines, his wealth of experience speaks for itself. Just like Dudley, the Lakers would be incredibly fortunate to add Rondo to their bench next season. The veteran wouldn’t have to wait until LeBron buys a team in Vegas to make his coaching dreams a reality.

Jordan Pagkalinawan

Jordan Pagkalinawan

Jordan Pagkalinawan is a journalism student at Emerson College who writes NBA articles across various platforms. Aside from his work with Last Word on Sports, he is also active on Medium and has managed social media for PerThirtySix, a sports site focused on data visualizations. He can also be found giving his thoughts on the league with his show, “The Boundless & Ballin’ Podcast,” on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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