Who are the candidates for the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching job?

After just two seasons in charge, Darvin Ham was dismissed by the Los Angeles Lakers. To be fair, when one considers the History that a team like the Lakers have and the fact that they still have the league’s best player on their roster, it’s hard to argue against the idea that they simply haven’t been up to par.

JJ Redick mentioned as option for the Lakers

Just a few days ago, the Phoenix Suns announced Mike Budenholzer as the team’s new head coach. It was a move that came quite quickly for the former Milwaukee Bucks coach after the dismissal of Frank Vogel following one season on the sideline. With that in mind, the Lakers appear to be doing just the opposite which is to say, playing the long game when it comes to selecting a new coach for the team. This of course brings us to the targets which have been mentioned so far and it’s interesting to note that according to reports, the Lakers are leaning towards candidates that they are not familiar with.

Amongst them are current Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn and New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego, who actually had a stint with the Charlotte Hornets as head coach from 2018-2022. Yet, on a more surprising note, there has also been chatter surrounding JJ Redick who it is understood that the Lakers are currently inquiring about. To be clear, the former player-turned-analyst has no experience as a coach but is respected around the league as a whole, something which appears to have piqued the Lakers’ interest.

OK, but what about Chris Quinn & James Borrego

As a former player who spent six years in the league with the Heat, Spurs, and Cavaliers, Quinn does bring some pluses to the table. For starters, he’s served as an assistant under Erik Spoelstra since 2014, something that will almost certainly add weight to his credentials given who Spoelstra is. It could also catch the eye of LeBron James who is known to have a lot of love for Spoelstra who he would have worked with during his in Miami where he won two championships with the Heat. No, Quinn and LeBron never worked together, but again his ties with Spoelstra could work well in his favor.

Concerning Borrego, fans will know him from his time with the Hornets. Indeed, while he was unable to lead them to the playoffs, he did manage to register the most wins the team has seen since 2015 with a record of 43-39. Most recently, he joined the New Orleans Pelicans and guided the team to its 11th-best offense just one season after finishing 20th in that same category. If we take a look at the Lakers right here and now, is it unreasonable to think that an offensive-minded coach like Borrego could have a similar effect? Quite frankly, given how the Lakers offense looked last season, it couldn’t hurt to try.

Ultimately, these are early days in the Lakers’ hunt for a new coach which is to say we can expect to hear other names being tossed around in the coming weeks. With the above-mentioned names all individuals who don’t have extensive experience in the hot seat and in the case of Redick none at all, one has to believe that more recognized coaches will enter into the discussion as well. Whatever the case, it’s evident that the Lakers are committed to exhausting all options before making a final choice, something that’s never a bad idea when making major decisions.