Lakers Hire Former Knicks Guard to New Coaching Staff With Ties to LeBron James

The Los Angeles Lakers made a big move and fired Frank Vogel. Many thought that Rob Pelinka will take his time and wait a little before he hires a new head coach. Darvin Ham impressed the Lakers front office and got the job. It’s more than obvious that the Lakers will reshape the roster and the coaching staff. There were several potential scenarios and the franchise made another move. Ham got an assistant as the Lakers decided to hire former New York Knicks guard Chris Jent. Adrian Wojnarowski from ESPN was among the first to report the hiring.

The Lakers are hiring Atlanta Hawks assistant Chris Jent to become the top assistant coach, sources tell ESPN. New coach Darvin Ham recruited Jent over the past week to lead his staff. Jent has a strong history with LeBron James from early Cleveland years.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 18, 2022

Jent seems like a good choice. He has some coaching experience as he worked with the Atlanta Hawks for six seasons. He spent some time on the NCAA and NBA and this experience makes him a good fit for the team. Jent was also an assistant for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2006 to 2011. In other words, he knows LeBron James really well. This tie should make things easy for the Lakers. Hiring someone who knows LeBron is always a good idea.

Ham and Jent know each other, too. They worked together in Atlanta for a year and shouldn’t have trouble working on the same team again.

Lakers hire former Knicks guard for the same reason they hired Darvin Ham

What makes Jent a great assistant is the fact that he had a good career as a player. He won a ring with the Houston Rockets in 1994. Yes, we have a winner!

Ham was a good coaching option for the Lakers because he knows the game and can understand players. The same goes to Jent. Lakers players need someone who can understand their needs and issues in order to make things work for the team.

The Lakers coaching staff will look a lot different next season. David Fizdale and Mike Penberthy left the franchise and Quinton Crawford moved to Dallas to work with the Mavericks. Phil Handy won’t go anywhere and the Lakers were lucky to keep the excellent coach on their team.