“A wonderful fit for LeBron James and Co.” Shannon Sharpe lauds Los Angeles Lakers’ attempt to hire Mark Jackson
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Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Mark Jackson
Mark Jackson emerges as an option for the vacant Head Coach position at Los Angeles Lakers. Shannon Sharp weighs in and support the former Golden State Warrior ace-man to help revive LeBron and Co. to their very best.
Los Angeles Lakers want to start their preparation early for the next season and their front office is sweating it out to collect perfect pieces. The Lakers 2022 season highlight was a clear indication of mismatches and chemistry, which never fructify on the hardwood. So Rob Pelinka and the team are looking for major amendments right from the start of the 2023 season. They made the vacant Head Coach position priority number one and looked at the possible options from the league. New names are surfacing every now and then, which includes former Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson.
Talking on the same topic on, “Undisputed” host Shannon Brown showed his support to the candidate and explains the possible positive effect on the team. Sharp highlighted his caliber and said, “This would be a wonderful fit for the Lakers and LeBron. He’s a former player and has coached at a high level. He was the foundation of the Warriors team that we see. Why not give him an opportunity.”
Mark Jackson’s credentials make him a valid head coach candidate
Mark Jackson is a former NBA star, who played in the Michael Jordan era of basketball. Drafted as the 18th overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft, a prolific ball-handler made his impact on the game with 14 points and 10 assists per game in his rookie season. He was the lowest pick to win the Rookie of the Year award – since 1958.
Apart from his playing abilities and basketball IQ, he has great player development skills – which actually set the foundation for the Golden State Warriors. Mark kept his faith in young guard pair Stephen Curry-Klay Thompson and was a key figure in the evolution of the Dubs Splash brothers and constant upgrade over the seasons.
Jackson was the head coach of the mid-table team and made them a playoff of contender team. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green – improved under Jackson’s leadership and went on to become the pillars of success for the Warriors.
They made it into the playoffs for 2 consecutive seasons – the first time after the 1992 season, Also team improve on their regular season performances every time from 23 to 47 to 51 wins from 2012 to 2014 respectively.
Can Mark Jackson lead Los Angeles Lakers to Glory again?
The resume of Mark Jackson is very impressive. 5th on the all-time assist list in NBA certainly knows thing-or-two about the game. He has shown his abilities to refine the team at hand, but the job at Los Angeles Lakers is a very different prospect.
The 17-time NBA Champion franchise is very demanding in nature. With the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook (will he be still a Laker is a different question) on the team, fans would expect quick results and at least an NBA finals appearance in 1st season.
Mark might not have experience in handling megastar players, but he played with some of the big guns of the League. Shannon pointed out the importance of respect from players and considers that Mark is entitled to that. He said, “I had him on my podcast, you can tell he knows what he is talking about. He talks about the adjustment that one team should make, and adjustment other team did make.”
He further added, “I like Mark Jackson. I think he will be a great fit. I think LeBron James would respect him. I think Anthony Davis will respect him. And when you have upper guys respecting him, other guys would fall in line.”
Considering Shannon’s views – the issue of “lack of respect for coach” will be resolved for sure, and with players like AD and LBJ, the Los Angeles Lakers might even win a title but the question still remains when? We will have to wait for an actual appointment and its results.
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Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)