Redick Hands Off a Bench Seat as the Lakers' Clock Ticks to…

By the Lakers Nightly Desk · Thursday, October 1

Camp news out of El Segundo this week was about the bench, not the box score: assistant coach Bob Beyer is retiring, and Lakers Nation reported Greg St. Jean is moving to the front of JJ Redick's staff. The Lakers are still 0-0, four preseason games from an October 21 opener against the Warriors on ESPN.

Austin Reaves of the Lakers — Austin Reaves. Photo: ReaganHoang10, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A Seat Changes Hands

Bob Beyer is stepping away after years on the Lakers bench, and Lakers Nation reported Greg St. Jean is moving to the front of Redick's staff for year two of his tenure. It is a quiet change, but it lands as Redick sorts out his rotation and starting five heading into camp's second week.

Reaves Likes What He Sees

The Los Angeles Times reported that Lakers' early defensive work has impressed both Austin Reaves and Redick, and Lakers Nation separately quoted Reaves on the same point. Silver Screen and Roll reported that Quentin Grimes is focused on getting back to his defensive roots, and that Jake LaRavia spent his summer reflecting after a rough 2025-26, when he logged 8.2 points over 82 games. Walker Kessler, limited to five games last season, is the frontcourt piece meant to anchor all of it.

Five Dates Ahead

The Lakers open the preseason October 5 at Sacramento, followed by road and home dates with the Warriors on October 6 and 13 and a home game against the Kings on October 8, before the regular-season opener October 21 against Golden State on ESPN. Payroll already sits at $204.0 million, above the $200.4 million luxury-tax line, with Doncic's $49.8 million salary the largest number on the books. The question camp hasn't answered: whether St. Jean's promotion changes anything about how Redick uses his bench once games start counting.

When do the Lakers play their first preseason game?

October 5 at Sacramento, the first of four exhibitions before the October 21 opener against the Warriors.

Who is replacing Bob Beyer on the Lakers' coaching staff?

Greg St. Jean, who Lakers Nation reported is moving to the front of JJ Redick's bench as Beyer retires.

By the Lakers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.