The Los Angeles Lakers’ coaching staff is undergoing an overhaul after deciding to part ways with Darvin Ham and replace him with JJ Redick, but it appears one familiar face will be returning.
It has already been reported that former NBA head coaches Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks will be Redick’s top assistants, but there still are some other spaces to fill.
Redick accomplished his goal of getting two former head coaches to join him in L.A., and his next addition is someone familiar with the organization in Greg St. Jean, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype:
The Los Angeles Lakers are adding Greg St. Jean as an assistant coach to JJ Redick’s staff, league sources told @hoopshype. He won a championship as part of Frank Vogel’s Lakers staff in 2020 and has since been an assistant coach with Jason Kidd in Dallas and Vogel in Phoenix. pic.twitter.com/HKJvABm3Zy
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 7, 2024
St. Jean served as an assistant under Franck Vogel with the Lakers for two seasons starting in 2019-20 before leaving to join Jason Kidd’s staff when he was hired as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. St. Jean would then return to the side of Vogel when he was hired by the Phoenix Suns this past season, but with the former being fired after just one year, St. Jean and the rest of that staff was available.
He also comes from a basketball family, with his father, Garry St. Jean, serving as the head coach of the Sacramento Kings back in the early 1990s.
As someone who is familiar with the games of LeBron James and Anthony Davis having been there during the 2020 championship run, St. Jean will be a valuable asset to Redick in his first season at the helm.
JJ Redick happy Lakers added Dalton Knecht
In addition to filling out his coaching staff, JJ Redick was also involved in the Lakers’ draft where they landed Dalton Knecht with the 17th overall pick.
Redick is putting an emphasis on adding 3-point shooting to the team and was pleased to see them add Knecht.
“First of all, I was thrilled to be in the draft room,” Redick said. “It was a very amazing experience for me. We didn’t think Dalton would be available at 17, but he provides something that we just don’t have. He’s a movement shooter. He can obviously play off the bounce. We viewed him very highly on our draft board, and he can score at all three levels. He’s got size. There was a lot of things to be excited about with Dalton, and I’m excited to coach him.”