The Los Angeles Lakers have hired JJ Redick as their new head coach and Austin Reaves appears to be delighted by that move. In a recent interview, Reaves spoke glowingly of Redick when asked about the hire.
“Yeah, I’ve gotten to know JJ a little bit, going on his podcast during the middle of the year,” Reaves said. “He’s a basketball genius, I think as everybody knows. And I think he’s gonna make a good coach and I can’t wait to get to work with him. He actually texted me yesterday and wanted to get on a call. So like I said, I just can’t wait to put our brains together and go have a good year.”
One of the reported reasons why Lakers GM Rob Pelinka made the decision to hire Redick was his ability to connect with the players, and we see that here with Reaves. To go along with this relationship with the guard, he also has one with LeBron James, as they co-host the Mind the Game podcast, and I think that’s vital for a man with no head coaching experience in the NBA.
While Redick, who played for 15 seasons in the league, may be a basketball genius, I think there will be some growing pains along the way. His relationships with some of the key figures in that Lakers locker room like James and Reaves will come in handy when the going gets tough.
Austin Reaves’ Agent Praised The Hiring Of JJ Redick
I already had a feeling that Reaves was a fan of the hire based on what Aaron Reilly stated after the news broke. Reaves’ agent sent a warning to teams around the league after the Lakers hired Redick.
“This coach is about to show a different part of Austin’s game none have you seen. Kept receipts on all that third superstar bulls***. Great hire for LA – going to be a big year next season.”
Reaves averaged career highs across the board in the 2023-24 campaign, putting up 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game. Reilly appears to suggest, though, that the 26-year-old could have done even more and that does seem to be a bit of a shot at former head coach Darvin Ham.
Earlier this year, a report indicated that there were real problems between Ham and Reaves. The guard had been relegated to the bench at one point during the campaign too and it didn’t look like all was well between them.
Reaves had also thrown shade at Ham after he was fired and I think it’s safe to say he is a lot happier now with Redick being at the helm. As for whether the new head coach would put an end to the talk about the Lakers needing a third superstar, I have doubts about that.
Reaves is undoubtedly a very good player, but I don’t see him becoming an All-Star anytime soon. I am not sure he will ever be that good of a player either. So, if the Lakers get off to a rough start under Redick, you better believe his name will be thrown around in potential trades.
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