Lakers Rumors: Scott Brooks, Nate McMillan Joining JJ Redick's Staff as Assistants

JJ Redick is reportedly bringing a pair of veteran coaches onto his Los Angeles Lakers staff as assistants.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers are hiring Portland Trail Blazers assistant Scott Brooks and former Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan.

Brooks has been an NBA coach since 2000 and previously served as the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Wizards. McMillan has been in the coaching world since 1998 and was the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks.

Since the Lakers hired Redick in June, surrounding him with "an elite coaching staff" has been a priority, according to Wojnarowski. Brooks was an early candidate to join the staff, along with NBA veteran Rajon Rondo, Dallas Mavericks assistant Jared Dudley and Boston Celtics assistant Sam Cassell, per The Athletic's Shams Charania, Sam Amick and Jovan Buha.

Given his lack of head coaching experience, having a pair of veteran coaches alongside him should make the transition from player to coach somewhat easier for Redick.

Both Brooks and McMillan have found success in their past stops. Brooks led the Thunder to an NBA Finals appearance in 2012 and had a somewhat fruitful five seasons with the Wizards, reaching the playoffs three times.

McMillan reached the playoffs in each of his four seasons with the Pacers and led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.

Having added a pair of assistants to their staff, the 2024-25 Lakers are starting to come together. The team also completed one of its top priorities on Wednesday, signing star LeBron James to a two-year, $104 million deal to return to Los Angeles next season.

While it will still look to make upgrades throughout the rest of the offseason, Los Angeles has made some much-needed progress so far this summer.