The Los Angeles Lakers were surprisingly among the less active teams at the trade deadline, despite rumors of a potential blockbuster. The front office clearly has plans to build a stronger roster down the road, specifically with the ample cap space it has in the 2026 and 2027 offseasons.
However, the Lakers also made a recent under-the-radar move that could significantly reshape their future. They hired a decorated former college basketball coach with the background to address this roster’s most glaring weakness.
Tony Bennett Is One of the Most Underrated Coaches of This Generation
The Lakers officially announced the hiring of Tony Bennett yesterday as an NBA Draft Advisor. The retired collegiate head coach will now work directly under the President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka, assisting the team’s basketball operations department with draft evaluation and scouting processes.
Bennett is a basketball lifer, putting together fantastic careers as both a player and a coach. The Clintonville, Wisconsin, native played collegiately at Wisconsin-Green Bay, where he became one of the most efficient scorers in the country.
Bennett would go on to be selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the second round of the 1992 NBA Draft and carve out a role as a reliable perimeter shooter. Injuries, unfortunately, cut the overachieving point guard’s professional playing career short, leading him to his true calling.
After retiring as a player and a short stint as a coach in New Zealand, Bennett joined his father, Dick’s, staff, beginning as an assistant at Wisconsin.
The two eventually moved to Washington State, and Tony took over as head coach in 2006. Bennett quickly established a defensive identity, leading Washington State to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances and earning national recognition for turning the program into a disciplined, competitive force.
This success made him one of the most sought-after coaches in the nation after just three seasons. In 2009, Bennett accepted the head coaching job at Virginia, a program that was long past its supposed glory days.
What followed was a transformative run that might eventually get Bennett inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Implementing his signature pack line defense, the Cavaliers became renowned for suffocating opponents, valuing possessions, and emphasizing efficiency over pace.
The program eventually became a consistent ACC contender and national power, with the defining moment coming in 2019. Bennett led the Cavaliers that year to their first national championship, taking down Texas Tech in the final.
Bennett would eventually step down as the head coach in October of 2024, citing that he was no longer the best person to lead this program in the NIL era. But even with this recent retirement, the Lakers are not adding someone to their staff whose views on basketball are outdated.
Plenty of currently successful NBA players came from Bennett’s Virginia teams, including De’Andre Hunter, Sam Hauser, Trey Murphy III, Ty Jerome, Anthony Gill, Ryan Dunn, and Jay Huff. Considering the former head coach’s defensive pedigree and the Lakers’ desperate need for elite, versatile defenders, this hire makes all the sense in the world.
