Lakers hire Worthy in player development role (original) (raw)

The Los Angeles Lakers have hired James Worthy to work with the coaching staff in a player development role. Worthy made the announcement official during Time Warner Cable SportsNet's live coverage of Lakers media day.

"In the past years I've been fortunate enough to work out with some of the big guys and utilizing their footwork and just helping them out with adjusting," Worthy said of his new role with the franchise he won three titles with. "The Lakers have asked me to do some player development-type work with them."

The Lakers have made several internal adjustments behind the scenes, and also made an attempt to hire Steve Nash in a similar role. Nash joined the Warriors and clarified that the Lakers contacted him after he had already accepted his offer with Golden State.

Worthy will continue working with the Lakers big men, which could help in the development of Julius Randle and the rest of the youth-heavy roster. Here's what the Lakers had to say about his role with the team in the official press release:

In his position, Worthy will work with head coach Byron Scott and his staff, focusing his attention on working with the Lakers big men. He will accompany the team to Hawaii for training camp and will continue to work with Lakers players throughout the season. Worthy will also continue his role on Time Warner Cable SportsNet as an analyst for the network's Lakers coverage.

More hands on deck could be helpful as the team tries to jump start their rebuild with an infusion of change.