The first big thing the Los Angeles Lakers need to do this offseason is hire a head coach. Several candidates are reportedly under consideration, and it seems as if the team will take its time in evaluating them before making a final decision.
It will be important for the Lakers to hire a head coach who has the respect and trust of LeBron James. This doesn’t mean hiring someone hand-picked by James or someone who will show favoritism toward the superstar, but it does mean making sure there will not be any locker-room drama.
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the team will also consider the opinion of Anthony Davis during its head coaching search.
Joined SVP to discuss the direction the Lakers coaching search appears to be heading in, in terms of the initial concept, and the factor LeBron and AD have in the search. pic.twitter.com/QUCR6AWZ4r
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 4, 2024
“And of course LeBron James’ opinion will be taken into consideration, but not just LeBron James — Anthony Davis as well I’m told,” McMenamin said. “And the team kind of looks as Anthony Davis is finally taking the torch from LeBron in the last season-and-a-half. While LeBron can still have the time to process the end of this season as he decides his future with the team, they have another voice and another leader in Anthony Davis whose opinion they will take under consideration.”
There has been a great deal of talk about Davis gradually taking the reins of the team over the past few years. While he didn’t lead it in scoring this season, he played in a career-high 76 games and had arguably the best season of his career.
As the 39-year-old James continues to add even more mileage to his body, his workload will need to be trimmed and managed during the regular season. That may mean Davis will need to take on a slightly higher offensive burden moving forward.
