The Los Angeles Lakers have been on an intense search to find their next head coach after firing Darvin Ham. After losing out on Mike Budenholzer, the Lakers have limited options in terms of established head coaches. Even though it has been reported that the front office would prefer an experienced head coach, there aren’t too many of them out there barring a surprise firing in the next few weeks.
Therefore, the Lakers will presumably have to opt for a less experienced, less established head coach. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however. There are plenty of capable coaches out there who could take this team to the next level.
So far, the Lakers have been closely linked with six coaches, with reports suggesting that the team is expected to interview them in the coming weeks. Let’s rank them from the worst fit to the best.
6. James Borrego
The former Charlotte Hornets head coach is one of the names consistently linked to the Lakers vacancy. Borrego has extensive assistant coaching experience, working under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio for a long time.
In 2018, he was hired to be the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets. In four seasons there, he missed the playoffs every single season, posting a 138-163 record.
It’s not fair to judge any coach’s record with the Charlotte Hornets. It’s not like the team had high-end talent that Borrego couldn’t utilize. Since he left, the Hornets posted back-to-back sub-30 win seasons, so he was clearly not the problem.
However, it’s hard to argue that he did an excellent job there. They suffered two desultory losses in back-to-back play-in appearances in 2021 and 2022. He spent last season with the Pelicans under Willie Green but whether he has done enough to warrant another head coaching gig is still up for debate.
5. Kenny Atkinson
Another high-level assistant coach who didn’t cover himself in glory during his lone head coaching position is Kenny Atkinson.
Atkinson made a name for himself working under Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta. He eventually got the Brooklyn Nets head coaching job in 2016. He spent 3.5 seasons there before resigning before the 2020 bubble. He made one playoff appearance during his tenure.
One of the reasons for Atkinson not lasting in Brooklyn was the fact that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving wanted to install a head coach to their liking. It was reported at the time that they weren’t particularly fond of Kenny Atkinson’s rigid approach.
This might be a problem for the superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Atkinson has worked for the Clippers and the Warriors since then, working with stars like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Steph Curry. He is generally a well-respected figure in terms of X’s and O’s but whether that is enough to land him the Lakers job remains to be seen.
4. JJ Redick
This one is the riskiest move as Redick has no prior coaching experience.
It has been rumored that LeBron James wants his podcast partner and close friend JJ Redick to be the next head coach of the Lakers. All the reporting is suggesting that the front office will at least consider it and interview the former Duke star.
Redick has impressed basketball fans with his tactical knowledge and ability to read the game during his time in the media. His podcast with LeBron is genuinely fascinating.
However, being a head coach is an entirely different beast. Not even having any assistant coaching experience is a big minus. Being able to manage egos and personalities, and running a locker room require more than just basketball knowledge.
There is certainly an upside to this hiring. First-time head coaches can bring out something out of a team that was never seen before. We have seen this with Steve Kerr and Erik Spoelstra before. But, there are as many failed examples as successful ones, so it will be interesting to see where this goes.
3. David Adelman
The son of long-time NBA coach Rick Adelman, David Adelman has been one of the most coveted assistant coaches in the league for a long time.
And this is to be expected. Not only because coaching runs in the family, but also because he has been the lead assistant for the best team in basketball for the past couple of years.
Working under Michael Malone in Denver, the Nuggets assistant has played a big role in taking the franchise to its first NBA Finals and championship.
Plus, the Nuggets coaches know the Lakers as well as anyone in the league. Denver has beaten the Lakers 11 times in their last 12 matchups, beating them twice in the playoffs. Adelman presumably knows all the strengths and weaknesses of this team that he can carry into a potential new role in Los Angeles.
2. Micah Nori
Another assistant who is perhaps the most coveted assistant in the league right now is Micah Nori of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nori was perhaps unknown to the national media and fans a week ago, but the Timberwolves’ rise in the playoffs, and Nori taking a bigger role after head coach Chris Finch’s injury put him on the map for a lot of people.
The Timberwolves have been one of the best regular season and playoff teams this season. They have an elite defensive unit and a much-improved offense thanks to the development of several key players, most notably Anthony Edwards.
Hiring the assistant coach from the best teams in the league usually works out well. Nori has worked with Nikola Jokic and Anthony Edwards in his career. Seeing the improvement those players had in their careers should be enough of a reason to give Nori a try.
1. Chris Quinn
According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin, the Lakers are expected to interview Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn in the upcoming weeks.
It’s only a matter of time before Chris Quinn is going to become a head coach in the NBA. Everyone around the league has known this for a long time as he has been the lead assistant coach under Erik Spoelstra for the last ten years.
Spoelstra is widely considered the best coach in the NBA right now and has won two championships with LeBron James in Miami. There aren’t too many better mentors that an assistant coach can learn more from.
Quinn joined the Heat staff immediately after LeBron left Miami. However, we all know how much LeBron respects Spoelstra. Hiring Quinn would be the next best thing to hiring Spoelstra.
On an ESPN profile of him a few years ago, Quinn was described as Spoelstra’s “mini-me”.
Ask Heat insiders who most embodies the team’s culture, and Quinn is commonly the answer.Kevin Arnovitz, ESPN
Having interviewed with the Pacers and the Wizards previously for their head coaching openings, Quinn will likely have more suitors in the future. The Lakers need to act fast if they want to make sure they get him.