The remodeling of Becky Hammon’s staff for the Las Vegas Aces continues.
Since losing assistant coaches Natalie Nakase and Tyler Marsh to the Golden State Valkyries and Chicago Sky, respectively, Hammon and the Aces have been hard at work finding suitable replacements.
The Aces have so far brought on two new assistant coaches, hiring Ty Ellis in November and Larry Lewis in December.
On Monday, the Aces made it three new coaches, tabbing former NBA player and coach John Lucas III as their new player development coach.
“Lucas has an extensive basketball background, and over the past several years has shown success as a player development coach for NBA teams,” said Hammon in a press release. “We’re excited to welcome him to the Aces family and now that we have a full staff, I am more excited than ever for the upcoming season.”
Prior to joining the Aces, Lucas has served on the coaching staffs of the Minnesota Timberwolves (2017-19), Los Angeles Lakers (2021-22) and Phoenix Suns (2023-24).
Lucas played professionally for twelve years, with stints in the NBA, G League and overseas. The former point guard played for six NBA teams across eight seasons, playing 242 games and averaging 4.7 points per game.
Lucas also played college basketball for Baylor and Oklahoma State, performing well at both stops. He was part of the 2002 Big 12 All-Freshman Team with Baylor, and had his best season in 2004 with Oklahoma State, winning the award for Big 12 Player of the Year and earning All-American honors.
The Aces are hoping that Lucas uses his experience as a player and coach at some of the highest levels of the game to help their roster move along. The trade that sent shooting guard Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday is a sign that the Aces are ready to transition to a new era, and Lucas’s work will be instrumental in accomplishing that goal.
With Lucas now on staff, the Aces have made another move to make themselves stronger both now and in the future.
