Kara Lawson's exciting new gig means the Boston Celtics have a vacancy to fill in Orlando.
The Celtics assistant coach is leaving the team to become the Duke women's basketball head coach after accepting the job this weekend. It's a great opportunity for Lawson, who joined Boston last July as the first female assistant coach in franchise history and will become the Duke women's program's first Black head coach.
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The Celtics now can bring an extra assistant coach into the NBA "bubble" to replace Lawson, and they've tabbed Brandon Bailey, head coach Brad Stevens told reporters Monday in a video conference.
Lawson will stay with the team for a few more days before Bailey replaces her at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, per Stevens.
Bailey also is in his first season as a Celtics assistant coach after spending the previous two seasons as head coach of the G-League affiliate Maine Red Claws. He initially didn't travel with the C's to Orlando, as the NBA is limiting the number of staffers each team can have on-site under its season restart plan.
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Stevens said the Celtics won't seek Lawson's replacement until the offseason but will give a promotion to video coordinator Tony Dobbins, who will move into a coaching role next season and join the Celtics on the bench for games.
An assistant coach leaving the team during the season is nothing new for the Celtics: Micah Shrewsberry departed Boston last May to take an assistant coach job at Purdue, while Walter McCarty left for Evansville two seasons ago in March 2018.
Lawson appeared to be a favorite among the C's players, though, so her presence in Orlando will be missed.
UPDATE (3 p.m. ET): Jaylen Brown seems to be on board with Dobbins' promotion. The Celtics wing has spoken highly of the 38-year-old Dobbins, who played professional basketball in France and Italy before joining the C's staff.