Former Denver Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw is set to join the Los Angeles Lakers as the lead assistant of newly-hired head coach Luke Walton next season, recent reports say.

The 50-year-old former NBA point guard will actually make a return as an assistant bench tactician for the Lakers as he had been in the same position before, from 2005 to 2011, with then head coach Phil Jackson, ESPN reported.

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Shaw handled the Nuggets for two seasons, from the beginning of 2013-2014 until March of 2015, where he recorded an overall slate of 56-85 (39.7 winning percentage). He missed the playoffs in his first season and did not get a chance to compete in the second.

Similar to Walton, Shaw is also a former Lakers player but they did not play on the same team together as the latter had already retired during Walton's rookie year in 2003. Shaw was an assistant coach at that time, though, so they already had a history of working alongside each other.

Aside from previous coaching stints with the Lakers and Nuggets, Shaw also served as an assistant with the Indiana Pacers from 2011 to 2013.

Meanwhile, Bleacher Report opined that "to a certain extent, becoming an assistant coach is a step down for Shaw," although the article further mentioned that going through it is probably the "quickest avenue" for him to become a head coach once more.

The report then cited the examples of current head coaches Alvin Gentry (New Orleans Pelicans), Terry Stotts (Portland Trail Blazers), and Dwane Casey (Toronto Raptors) as they have all started as assistants before landing the top bench posts that they have now.

Shaw's return as a head coach will largely depend on his performance as Walton's lead assistant next season. If he successfully assists Walton in turning things around in Tinseltown, then his value will rise at this same period next summer, giving him an even greater chance of getting hired as a chief bench tactician by interested teams.

As for the Lakers and Walton, having Shaw at the sidelines is a great benefit not only because of the latter's capability but because the two already have "rapport with each other".

The Lakers are not expected to become title contenders during Walton's first year as head coach as they only have a young core of inexperienced players. However, things could change in a hurry if the team will be able to snatch a big-name free agent like, say, Kevin Durant this summer.

Tags NBA news, NBA news 2016, Lakers news, Los Angeles Lakers, Brian Shaw, Luke Walton