Lakers Rumors: LeBron James, Anthony Davis Like Nick Nurse's Coaching Style

Los Angeles Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis are reportedly fans of Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse.

Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reported Monday that James and Davis have both "told friends that they like how Nurse coaches." Turner noted the Raptors coach is represented by Klutch Sports, which is also the agency for the Lakers' two cornerstone players.

The update comes after L.A. fired Frank Vogel following one of the most disappointing seasons in recent NBA history as the team missed the playoffs with a 33-49 record.

Despite the interest, it's unclear whether the Lakers have any chance to lure Nurse away from the Raptors.

Turner reported "there hasn't been anything substantiated by way of any discussion from any parties" and added "no one from around the league thinks Toronto will let him leave."

Other candidates listed in the L.A. Times report include the Utah Jazz's Quin Snyder, Philadelphia 76ers' Doc Rivers, University of Michigan's Juwan Howard, Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham, former Orlando Magic head coach Steve Clifford and former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said the front office's goal is to hire a new coach before the 2022 NBA draft, which is scheduled for June 23.

Nurse has been a member of the Raptors' coaching staff since 2013 and was promoted to the head coach in 2018. He's guided the franchise to a 186-122 regular-season record and a 23-12 mark in the playoffs, highlighted by the team's 2019 NBA championship.

Toronto went 48-34 this season and is about to start the postseason, so the Lakers will likely have to wait until that run ends to see whether the 54-year-old Iowa native could be a realistic candidate.

Regardless of whether Los Angeles hires Nurse or another one of the candidates, the most important part of the offseason will be spending a second straight year trying to reconstruct the roster around James and Davis. Last summer's effort failed to deliver results.

The Lakers will also need better health from their All-Star duo, who combined to miss 68 games during the 2021-22 campaign, which played a major role in the team failing to meet expectations.

So, while the coaching hire is critically important, it's one of several factors that will determine whether L.A. bounces back in a major way next season.