Lakers hire Pooh Jeter as Director of Pro Scouting

DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 4: Scoot Henderson #00 of the Portland Trail Blazers, Player Development Coach Pooh Jeter of the Portland Trail Blazers, & Assistant Coach Scott Brooks of the Portland Trail Blazers look at film before the game on February 4, 2024 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The Lakers have made one of their first big hires in the scouting department under new assistant general manager Eric Amsler.

On Thursday, Marc Spears of Andscape reported that the team had hired Pooh Jeter as the new Director of Pro Scouting, a move made by Amsler.

Pooh Jeter has been hired as the Lakers’ new Director of Pro Scouting, source told @andscape. The LA native previously worked with the Trail Blazers as Player Development Coach and Assistant GM of NBA G League Rip City Remix. Jeter was hired by new Lakers asst GM Eric Amsler. pic.twitter.com/Jkc11MiJtD

— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) October 1, 2026

At Media Day, President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka noted that the team intended to start building out its scouting department. Over the summer, he said the franchise made around 15 hires.

Jeter had a lengthy professional career overseas with stops in Ukraine, Spain and China, among other countries. He had a brief stint with the Sacramento Kings and spent some time with the shortly-lived G League Ignite.

After retiring, Jeter joined the Blazers as a player development coach and assistant GM of the team’s G League franchise, Rip City Remix. Shortly after being hired, he spoke with SLAM about his new role and his career in basketball up to that point in an informative interview for fans looking for more insight into him.

While Amsler’s hiring already dispelled the notion, this further pushes back against the idea that the team was in a hiring freeze during the transition from Mark Walter to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner. And the quicker the team can build out its scouting department, the better it is for everyone involved.

Obviously, everyone is going to bring with them an inherent knowledge of the league, few more so than Amsler himself, but the quicker the staff can be built out, the quicker the franchise and this year’s Lakers can reap the benefits of having a fully fleshed-out scouting department.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.