JJ Redick will be the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers
This is both expected and yet surprising. Redick’s name popped up as a potential candidate from the moment Darvin Ham was fired (and, in speculative circles, even before Ham was fired). He was the clear favorite for most of the process, save for an alliance with UConn’s Dan Hurley.
Still, it’s surprising because the Lakers opted for a completely inexperienced coach at a transitional time for the franchise – trying to win now in the final years of LeBron James’ career while building something lasting for a world post-LeBron.
The Lakers made a high-risk, high-reward hire. Here are five takeaways from this move.
Hiring Redick only in step one, roster upgrades needed
It doesn’t matter if Redick is good as a head coach or not if Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka doesn’t improve the roster this offseason.
LeBron James – not coincidentally Redick’s podcast partner – and Anthony Davis remain the anchors. Redick told the Lakers during the interview process that he wanted to increase Davis’ role, reports The Athletic.
Redick outlined a system molded around this roster, focusing on increasing Anthony Davis’ involvement, particularly late in games, and easing the constant ball-handling duties on James by using him more off the ball. Keeping James, who turns 40 in December, going through the regular season and playoffs will be key.
That means finding another high-level ball handler and shot creator on the trade market. Trae Young is a name that has emerged as a potential trade target, and within hours of Redick’s hiring, Young posted about it on X (formerly Twitter).
The Lakers need more than stars. Look at the last two NBA champions – Boston and Denver – and it’s clear how important it is to have quality role players who fit well with the stars. In addition to another ball handler, Pelinka needs to improve his talent on the wings (having a healthy Jarred Vanderbilt will help).
Redick needs to do his part, putting players in better positions and developing players like Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Max Christie to take the next steps in their careers.
Ultimately, talent wins in the NBA, and the Lakers need more of it if they want to avoid play-ins next season in what will be a deeper and better Western Conference.
Be patient, give Redick time to grow into this position
Give Rob Pelinka credit, he didn’t play it safe.
Redick is a rookie who breaks the mold – he’s not a former head coach or top assistant, and he’s not a former Laker (in fact, he’s a former Clipper).
The Lakers needed to break their mold and try something new.
With this, patience is required. Perhaps the most mentioned stat during the Lakers coaching search was that the team had only finished higher than seventh in the West once in the last twelve years (2020 , when she won the title). Coaching turnover is a sign of an impatient front office and an owner without a plan — no coach since Phil Jackson has spent more than three years with the Lakers.
Redick could be the guy to break this streak, but the Lakers need to be patient – let him learn on the job. Let him make mistakes, suffer losses and grow. Boston’s management didn’t panic over Joe Mazzulla’s struggles as a rookie (he was named to the position at the last minute of his first year, to be fair). He obviously grew into the role.
One thing in Redick’s favor: If he fails at this job, the ax won’t just be thrown at him. This is Rob Pelinka’s third coaching hire with the Lakers, and during that process he tried to put down Tyronn Lue (barely three years old and wanted to put coaches on his staff), then didn’t didn’t offer Hurley enough money to get him out of UConn (that number may have been out of Pelinka’s control, but then look no further).
Because Pelinka knows he’s in trouble if Redick is another swing and miss, he should be patient.
Redick must manage pressure and expectations
One of the hardest parts of being a Lakers coach is dealing with the spotlight, the rabid fan base and the inflated expectations of the talent on the roster — and it’s not just the fans, but also from the front office. The Lakers only hang championship banners and incremental successes are rarely celebrated. This can lead to short-term thinking when putting together a list.
Unreasonable expectations will begin this season. Lakers fans will support the team by saying that Denver is the only team to beat them in the playoffs in the last two years. As always, expectations will be high. Reality says the Lakers need to be ranked behind Dallas, Denver, Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Memphis (a 50+ win team that gets everyone healthy) to start the season. This makes the Lakers look like a 6-8 seed and probably a game team again. That may not sit well with LeBron, the front office or the fan base.
Redick can’t let all the media attention, social media fans and expectations get to him. Just keep grinding.
Help Redick with a seasoned team of assistant coaches
Because that’s not the case, Redick needs people around him who have done this before. The Lakers need to spend on assistant coaches and build a veteran staff to help guide the rookie coach.
It starts with recruiting an experienced former head coach as a lead assistant. Former Thunder coach Scott Brooks, now an assistant in Portland, is one of the names that has been bandied about. Another is former 76ers head coach and former Spurs assistant Brett Brown. It never hurts to call Stan Van Gundy, although whether he wants to leave his comfortable broadcast chair to become an assistant coach remains up for debate.
After that, find old veteran players. Rajon Rondo was mentioned. The same goes for Jared Dudley in Dallas and Sam Cassell in Boston (although removing those guys from winning teams is unlikely and very costly if successful).
Regardless, give Redick some guys he can lean on.
Let Redick be Redick (stop with Spoelstra’s compositions)
This is somewhat related to the patience topic above – don’t try to put Redick in the box of the next Pat Riley or Erik Spoelstra. Let him be Redick.
Some fans and media wanted to compare Redick to Miami’s hiring of Spoelstra, the man now considered the best coach in the league. It’s a terrible analogy. Spoelstra never played in the NBA and started as a video coordinator, worked his way up, proved he was a grinder, became an assistant coach, learned and improved, then had the right mix of preparation and personality when he got the job. Plus, he had the support of Pat Riley (even against LeBron James who wanted him gone). This is not the Redick way.
Riley isn’t Redick’s way either, while he was a broadcaster he had also been an assistant coach for a few years.
That’s not to say Redick won’t succeed – he very well could. His basketball IQ and work ethic are not in question. While Redick’s lack of experience is concerning, he is not someone who comes to the job with the red flags seen in some rookie head coaches.
But be patient, give it a chance and let Redick be Redick.