The Lakers under their new leader, JJ Redick, have a lot to prove. The 40-year-old has taken over the heritage franchise’s coaching job at a time of uncertainty. Importantly, Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka have rolled the dice, allowing a first-time coach. They’ve put together a strong support staff around him. An interesting name is Beau Levesque, a 33-year-old former Clippers coach. One might wonder 33-year-old may be a little too early to join the coaching team. Well, Levesque has done the hard yards before reaching the Lakeshow. 

Many in the NBA know him as a Player Developmental Coordinator. And he has certainly done an impressive job. As per Sports Illustrated, Levesque often participated in the LA Clippers‘ “stay ready games” which are basically scrimmages for the non-rotational players, keeping them prepared for upcoming opportunities. Apart from that, Beau Levesque also worked individually with players and improved their skills. Some of his notable work includes mentoring Luke Kennard and improving his perimeter shooting.

One of Kennard’s deep 3s in the LA side’s 35-point comeback against the Wizards is remembered to date. Speaking about who motivated the player and pushed him to the edge, “The Washington three, the first one that was pretty far out, Beau [Levesque] the guy I work with every day, he screamed on the sideline right when I shot it, ‘We work on it.’ And then it went in,” Kennard said.

Moreover, before joining the Clippers’ fold, Levesque has had quite a journey. He played for St. Mary’s College between 2009-14 and graduated with a Sport and Fitness administration/management degree. Following that, he played professional basketball for 2 years in Spain before pursuing a Master’s in Kinesiology and Exercise Science at St. John’s University.

This portfolio was enough for him to get into the NBA. Initially, he joined the Brooklyn Nets and worked as an Assistant Video Coordinator and Player Development/Video Assistant for two seasons between 2018-20 before joining the Clippers.

Beau Levesque’s magic touch will aid JJ Redick’s player development focus in Lakers

Considering his rich experience as a Player Development Coordinator and working with players individually, Levesque does have a lot of work in the Lakers fold. Importantly, the team has promising young talents with the likes of Max Christie, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Maxwell Lewis, Dalton Knecht, Bronny James, and a few others. So, the former St. Mary’s player could directly get into business as soon as he hits the office.

Moreover, JJ Redick has stressed right from his first press conference, as the Lakers boss, that he is focused on player development. He even said, “Beyond James and Davis, the group matters more than ever. We need 6 to 7 guys who can play minutes deep into the playoffs.” Above all, Redick doesn’t seem to have backtracked from his initial plans, as he reiterated the same in the latest presser.

The press release revealed the list of assistant coaches hired and it also included a statement from JJ. It read, “Our goal from day one is about fostering a high-performing environment of player development and team alignment through relentless work, daily collaboration, and innovation.” This statement indeed clarifies that Beau Levesque was brought into the mix for a deep purpose.

The question is, can Levesque play a role in developing Bronny James and all the youngsters in the Lakers fold into All-Stars? Let us know your views in the comments.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.