South Bay Lakers part ways with head coach Dane Johnson
South Bay Lakers head coach Dane Johnson is done coaching the team after one season.
After just one season as the head coach of the South Bay Lakers, Dane Johnson and the organization have parted ways.
The South Bay Lakers announced the news via Twitter on Friday afternoon.
The South Bay Lakers have parted ways with Head Coach Dane Johnson.
— South Bay Lakers (@SouthBayLakers) August 9, 2024
Johnson led South Bay to a 26-24 overall record in the 2023-24 G League season. During his tenure as head coach, four players earned NBA Call-Ups.
Johnson’s time as the South Bay head coach was brief. He led the team to a 26-24 record in the sole season he was in charge of the South Bay Lakers. However, the record isn’t the end all be all in that league, as player development is the most important aspect of that job.
When the Lakers fired Darvin Ham and cleaned house, Johnson wasn’t let go and stayed on as the South Bay Lakers coach.
In fact, he was given the responsibility of coaching the Los Angeles Lakers Summer League team, making this move all the more surprising.
Is his departure due to the team’s performance in the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League?
The Lakers lost all three games they played in San Francisco in the California Classic and started 0-2 in Las Vegas before turning things around and winning their last three games in the Summer League.
Under Johnson’s leadership, we also saw Dalton Knecht look more than NBA-ready and Bronny James had some bright spots late into his Summer League campaign.
Now, the Lakers will have to quickly find Johnson’s replacement before training camp begins in a couple of months.
It looked like the Lakers were done filling up their coaching vacancies, having hired JJ Redick earlier this summer and announcing his entire staff this past week. They also reportedly brought in Ty Abbott as director of player development, a role Redick had stressed was important given the young players on the Lakers roster.
Now, suddenly, another critical role is open. The next South Bay coach will be dealing with young prospects like Bronny, Knecht and Maxwell Lewis, along with the Lakers’ two-way players Blake Hinson, Armel Traoré, and Colin Castleton. Maximizing their potential will be so important, given the limited cap space and roster spots the Lakers currently have.
Hopefully, whoever they select next as the South Bay Lakers head coach will have a longer tenure than Johnson did.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.