After a long and turbulent search for a head coach, the Los Angeles Lakers finally have a replacement for Luke Walton lined up in Frank Vogel. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Vogel’s deal is good for three years.
Along with Vogel, the Lakers are reportedly brining in Jason Kidd in a “prominent assistant coaching role.” Kidd interviewed for the team’s head coaching job in April as a favor, according to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times, but he reportedly impressed the front office enough to earn a spot on the coaching staff.
But if Kidd didn’t enjoy much success as a head coach in Brooklyn and Milwaukee, going 183-90 through five years, what exactly did he sell the Lakers on? Player development.
During an interview on “The Lowe Post,” Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported that Kidd laid out a “player-development plan” for the team’s young players. It’s worth noting that Kidd had a hand in developing the young talent in Milwaukee, including Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Kidd is especially interested in helping the Lakers develop Lonzo Ball. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Kidd is a “big believer” in Ball and thinks he can be a “really good player.” Kidd and Ball reportedly had a phone conversation this past season at the request of Tyson Chandler, who played with Kidd in New York and Dallas.
If the Lakers hired one of their top assistants with Ball in mind, it’s safe to assume they aren’t looking to trade him this summer. Granted, that could change if the New Orleans Pelicans change their stance on trading Anthony Davis to Los Angeles this summer, but it seems as though they’re going to remain firm on that front, even with David Griffin now overseeing basketball operations.
Ball, the former No. 2 overall pick, has been underwhelming in his first two seasons in the NBA, but a lot of that has had to with the his inability to stay on the court. Through two seasons, Ball has played just 99 games. However, when he has been healthy he’s shown enough flashes to make a team want to invest time in developing him. Hopefully Kidd, a Basketball Hall of Fame point guard, can play a part in doing that.
