There is lots of pressure on the Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA championship right now, given that LeBron James is 39 years of age and could become a free agent again next summer. However, they also seem to have an eye on their future after James leaves or retires.

Multiple reports have indicated they want to emphasize player development moving forward. Perhaps that’s why they momentarily courted University of Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley and eventually hired 40-year-old former sharpshooter and podcaster JJ Redick.

On Monday, the Lakers formally announced Redick’s coaching staff. They have now added another member to it — Ty Abbott, who will be their lead player development coach.

Abbott is just 35 years of age but has paid his dues. He went undrafted in 2011 and ended up playing several seasons of basketball overseas. He briefly returned to the States to play one season with the Delaware 87ers of the G League before leaving the country again to wrap up his playing career.

He was a player development associate afterward with the Philadelphia 76ers, and for the last four years, he was with the Chicago Bulls, first as a player development coordinator and then as a player development coach.

Los Angeles does have a number of young players who could use a strong and full-featured player development program. With a limited number of draft picks and little trade capital that is actually attractive, the team must make the most of its draft picks and undrafted rookie signings in order to improve.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers have hired Ty Abbott as their lead player development coach