The Los Angeles Lakers have hired David Fizdale as their new assistant coach. The 47-year-old Fizdale will replace Jason Kidd in the Lakers coaching staff after Kidd became the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.

Fizdale has been one of the best assistant coaches in the past two decades and has deserved his chance to take a step forward with his head coaching stints with the Memphis Grizzlies and the New York Knicks.

Given the fact that most of the focus of the head coaches in the NBA is on the games, the assistant coaches are actually those who run the practices and develop the players. Hiring Fizdale as Frank Vogel’s assistant might turn out to be a great deal for the Lakers. So here is the Story of David S. Fizdale and 5 reasons why coming to the Lakers is picture-perfect.

5. Fizdale will prove he deserved another chance

Fizdale got his first NBA job as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors in 2003 being only 29-years-old at the time. In the next 15 years, he had an NBA job, emerging as one of the best coaches from the new generation. He took the risk to take the next step and become a head coach, first for the Memphis Grizzlies and then for the New York Knicks. Fizdale’s most successful stint as a head coach came during the 2016-17 season when he led the Grizzlies to a 7th-seed in the Western Conference. However, Fizdale’s time in Memphis was short-lived despite his early success, and the Grizzlies’ decision to let him go had a lot to do with his relationship with their star player, Marc Gasol.

His time with the Knicks lasted even shorter after he was fired with only 22 games into the season. Despite making his living from the 4-year $22 million contracts with the Knicks, he lost his place in the league.

“I really was at the lowest place I’ve ever been from a mental health standpoint,” said Fizdale when asked about his time away from the league.

Now when he gets another opportunity, he will definitely make the best of it. He will do what he does best, and he will do it in his hometown with one of the best franchises in the league.

4. Individual development of the frontcourt players

Next season with the Lakers will be Fizdale’s 14^th season serving as an assistant coach. While with the Warriors, Hawks, and Heat he has spent a lot of time working out with players on their individual skillset, especially with the bigs. During that time he developed the reputation as “the Bigs whisper”.  A true example of his work is Chris Bosh’s transition from a lanky 20-10 guy who played in the paint into a 6’11 three-point specialist and a much-improved perimeter defender.

Another example is even Marc Gasol. The Spaniard who probably cost Fizdale his job in Memphis had shot only 66 three-pointers in his first 8 seasons in the league. During the year and a half playing for Fizdale, Gasol improved his outside shooting to the point that he shot 268 three-pointers, making a remarkable 39% of it.

3. Fizdale is an uptempo basketball guru coming from a proven system

The majority of his time in the NBA, Fizdale spent under Pat Riley in the Miami Heat organization. If Riley as a basketball executive is known for something, that is his basketball culture and system which is based on discipline. Fizdale spent eight seasons with Riley and is seen as the coach who brought in the uptempo basketball within the Heat organization. He was hired to switch Memphis from their “grit n grind” style of basketball where two traditional big men patrolled the paint, into some uptempo, more effective, more like the Miami Heat offense which he helped implement. That style of basketball has taken over the league and Fizdale’s role in the Lakers’ offense is expected to be huge.

2. Fizdale is a players’ coach

Fizdale was part of the Miami Heat’s coaching staff when LeBron James led the team to four consecutive finals appearances, winning two of them. During that period, Fizdale got a reputation as a players’ coach, treating his players like human beings, not just like means to achieve goals. This approach won him a lot of respect from the players, especially from LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. Given the fact that there are not many coaches who got absolute trust from the players, Fizdale is a coach that every player in the league wants to play for.

1. Fizdale is maybe the next Lakers head coach

Frank Vogel managed to lead the Lakers to the NBA championship in his first year as their coach but this season’s failure is something that the Lakers management is worried about. Of course that Anthony Davis’ injury had a big part in the early Playoff exit but Vogel is also seen as a reason for that.

We already know that LeBron is the kind of guy who wants to have control over things and we still remember when he got David Blatt fired and his close friend Tyronne Lue replaced him as the Cavaliers’ head coach. We are not saying that LeBron has the same influence in LA like he did in Cleveland, but it is expected that the management would want to make their superstar happy.

So if the Lakers have a rough start of the next season it will not be surprising to see Vogel gone and Fizdale stepping in as the new head coach. In the end, LeBron gets what he wants, right?