Los Angeles Lakers head coach J.J. Redick said that he wished to add hard workers, or what he called “sickos,” to his coaching staff, and he believes he has realized that goal.
“I’m mostly excited just to work, just being in the gym out here at this facility with the guys and our coaching staff,” Redick said as the Lakers gear up for the 2024-25 season. “That’s been the best part. It’s been fascinating because you’re fitting puzzle pieces together about skill sets and personalities. I couldn’t be happier with the staff that we’ve built here. We have a blend of youth, experience. Obviously Nate [McMillan] and Scotty (Scott Brooks), but also Bob Beyer, who’s been front of the bench for almost two decades in the NBA. The biggest thing for me was I wanted to make sure I had a bunch of sickos on my staff and I think I’ve accomplished that. Yeah, they’re grinders.”
McMillan and Brooks both have extensive experience working as head coaches at the NBA level. The former coached the Portland Trail Blazers and Indiana Pacers to several playoff appearances. Also, earlier on in the decade, he was the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks when the team — led by point guard Trae Young — reached the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals.
Brooks has coached his fair share of good NBA teams as well. He helped the Oklahoma City Thunder make it all the way to the Western Conference Finals on three separate occasions and the NBA Finals in 2012 during his seven seasons holding the team’s head-coaching reins.
After his stint coaching the Thunder came to an end, he then saw a considerable amount of success leading the Washington Wizards from the sidelines, particularly early on in his tenure. In his first season in Washington, the Wizards won 49 games during the regular season and were one win away from playing in the Eastern Conference Finals, as the squad lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games in the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs.
Finally, while Beyer has yet to serve as an NBA head coach, he has worked as an assistant coach in the league for many years, as Redick implied. He began his time in the NBA’s coaching ranks when he became an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors ahead of the 2003-04 season, and he most recently worked as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets in the 2023-24 campaign.
Perhaps the coaching experience that Brooks, McMilllan and Beyer have will balance out Redick’s lack of experience. Redick had no prior experience coaching in the league before he took the Lakers’ job.
