It’s reportedly within the realm of possibility that former Los Angeles Lakers coaches Miles Simon and Greg St. Jean make returns to the storied franchise and join J.J. Redick’s staff this offseason.
“Sources have said that perhaps Miles Simon and Greg St. Jean could return to the organization this offseason,” Lakers Daily’s Anthony Irwin wrote. “Both served under [Frank] Vogel during his tenure. Simon also worked with Luke Walton’s coaching staff and coached the South Bay Lakers. Given the franchise’s focus on development, Simon especially makes a lot of sense.”
Simon spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Lakers, and as Irwin mentioned, he also served as the leader of the South Bay Lakers from the sidelines in the 2021-22 season.
But more recently, Simon was an assistant coach for the 2023-24 iteration of the Phoenix Suns, who happened to be led by Vogel. The Suns under Vogel did not live up to expectations despite having a star trio of Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant, as the team was swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
While St. Jean was also a member of Phoenix’s coaching staff this past season, his coaching path was a bit different from Simon’s. After working for Vogel’s staff on the Lakers for two seasons, he joined Jason Kidd’s staff in Dallas for two seasons.
In his first season as an assistant coach for the Mavericks, Dallas reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time since the year 2011, when the team won its only title in franchise history. But the Mavericks lost to the 2022 NBA champions — the Golden State Warriors — in five games in that series.
In St. Jean’s second and final season as a member of Kidd’s coaching staff, the Mavericks experienced far less success than they did the year prior. Despite the fact that Dallas traded for one of the better guards in the NBA in Kyrie Irving midway through the season, the Mavericks won just 38 games and missed out on the playoffs entirely.
It still remains to be seen if St. Jean and Simon will indeed make returns to the Lakers organization, but if they were to, the reunions would certainly stand out as full-circle moments for both men.
