Luke Walton’s coaching staff is undergoing a dramatic overhaul during the summer. Gone are assistant coaches Jesse Mermuys and Rex Kalamian. Bobby Jackson is now the head coach of the Stockton Kings and running the team’s summer league squad.
The Kings added former player turned analyst Doug Christie to take up one of the vacated assistant spots and advanced scout Jonah Herscu earned a promotion early in the summer as well.
On Monday evening, NBC Sports California confirmed that Walton is adding longtime assistant Mike Longabardi as a front-of-bench assistant. The Athletic’s Sam Amick first reported the news.
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Longabardi just finished a two-year stint on Scott Brooks’ staff in Washington, but he’s an experienced assistant who has made stops in Houston, Boston, Phoenix and Cleveland.
The 48-year-old assistant was part of championship staffs with both the Celtics and Cavs, and he has been on an NBA bench in 14 of the last 15 seasons.
With the addition of both Christie and Longabardi over the last two weeks, Walton’s staff appears to be full, but in the NBA, nothing is certain until the season opens and a group of coaches sit on the bench wearing matching polos.