Lakers Find Early Success with JJ Redick at the Helm
Lakers Find Early Success with JJ Redick at the Helm
By Keith Mado October 30, 2024 09:32
After a forgettable run with Darvin Ham at the helm from 2022-2024, the Los Angeles Lakers front office decided to move on and hire a new head coach. Numerous names were thrown in the cauldron during LA's search for their next skipper. Proven coaches like Terry Stotts, Sam Cassell, and Kenny Atkinson were few of the candidates to land the prestigious coaching job, but to the surprise of many, the Lakers put all their chips on former NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick. Redick had no prior professional coaching stint before heading to Tinseltown, which is why the hire left many people scratching their heads.
"It was really after I interviewed for the Toronto job last year that I knew that I wanted to be a head coach in the NBA," Redick shared in an interview. "And so the last year, I spent a lot of time talking to coaches, talking with GMs, picking their brains. I just felt like this is what I'm supposed to be doing." However, the 15-year vet has always been known for his basketball IQ and surgical takes on the game, highlighted by his podcasts "Old Man and the Three" and "Mind the Game" with LeBron James.
To his credit, Redick rolled out the new season with an entirely different philosophy than what we've seen from the Lakers for the past few seasons. The Lakers are 3-0 at the time of writing, and it’s evident that Redick had a lot to do with it. The ball is moving more fluidly, their shot selection has been better, and the player rotation has been more consistent.
JJ didn't simply tweak a few things here and there; he orchestrated an entire overhaul, and it's paying dividends early in the season. Most importantly, the Lakers players and coaching staff buy into what Redick brings, which is detrimental, especially when handling big names like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who are spearheading LA to another title run. "The game plan, the schemes that he had on both ends of the floor, he trusts us," AD stated. "We trust him, as far as what he teaches us and what he wants us to do on the floor on both ends, and it's our job to execute it. I think we were very prepared tonight." It's still very early to conclude that the Lakers' head coach gamble is successful. We're only heading to Week 2 of the young NBA season, but Redick has already taken a massive step in the right direction.
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