Los Angeles Lakers Sign Two New Coaches

According to recent reports, Frank Vogel has made two big additions to his coaching staff – Quinton Crawford and Mike Penberthy.

Crawford has assisted Vogel during his time with the Orlando Magic as the team’s head video coordinator and a player development coach. And once Vogel left, he landed with the Charlotte Hornets. Penberthy hasn’t collaborated with Vogel or Crawford before, but he is a former Laker who spent parts of two seasons with the team during the peak of the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal era. He is a highly-regarded shooting coach who will be of great assistance to the Lakers, as that position has been left empty in recent years.

While nothing has indicated that the Lakers are done hiring coaches, this is an indication that the bulk of their staff has been built. They now have four assistant coaches on the bench in Jason Kidd, Lionel Hollins, Phil Handy and Crawford.

Kidd and Hollins are both former head coaches. Handy has a great reputation as a player development coach and Crawford gives Vogel a confidante that he has already worked with. A well-thought combination like this should help Vogel establish habits and split up duties among his roster and staff. The Lakers front office did not approve that much of the staff that Luke Walton built last season, preferring more experienced assistants. So, for this season, they have helped Vogel build a staff that they are more comfortable with.

All things considered, it seems as if they will be happy to move forward with this selection.

The only person that’s missing right now is an offensive guru. Vogel comes from a defensive background, as well as Hollins. Kidd’s offenses are also not his strongest side, and neither Crawford nor Handy are known for their offensive acumen. So, the team needs someone who will diagram plays and build a system for the Lakers. James can run just about any offense once he’s on the floor, but there is little information available on what sort of system that will be beyond quotes from Vogel.