On Thursday, weeks of negotiating finally concluded after the Lakers reached an agreement with JJ Redick to become their new head coach. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the four-year contract was formally offered to Redick just a few hours ago and he’s already begun to assemble his staff.
“JJ Redick has agreed on a four-year contract to become the next coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Rob Pelinka offered him the job this morning and Redick’s started working on a staff to surround himself with experience,” wrote Woj. “Pelinka became sold on Redick’s ability to connect with players and his basketball IQ and believes surrounding him with an elite coaching staff will help shorten the learning curve in his first coaching job.”
Redick is a 15-year NBA veteran who has played for the Magic, Clippers, 76ers, Pelicans, Bucks, and Mavericks. He’s well-respected around the league and has earned a reputation for being a basketball genius due to his platform on ESPN, and his podcasts which include ‘The Old Man & The Three,’ and ‘Mind The Game.’
Despite his extensive knowledge of the game, however, Redick has no head coaching experience at any level. Unlike Dan Hurley or James Borrego, Redick does not have any coaching credentials and this assignment with the Lakers will be his first time in this type of role. To say it’s a major risk would be an understatement for the Lakers.
For GM Rob Pelinka, the hope is that Redick’s skills as a leader and his ability to connect with the players will offset the growing pains and help Redick get the most out of this team. It won’t hurt to bring in a team of experienced professionals to fill out his staff.
On social media, the reactions were pretty mixed but there are plenty of Lakers fans feeling hopeful about the future.
LeBron and Anthony Davis next season with JJ Redick running a real offense pic.twitter.com/YDFBJJwCd0
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) June 20, 2024
Others are much less optimistic and even joked that JJ’s tenure will not be any different from the Lakers coaches who came before him… like Darvin Ham, Frank Vogel, and Luka Walton who all only lasted there a few years before getting fired.
Lakers fans gonna want JJ Redick fired by Christmas 🤣
— BettingBae (@BettingBae) June 20, 2024
Nobody knows if Redick, 39, started his podcast with a future coaching job in mind, but many are convinced that its sole purpose was to advertise his knack for the Xs and Os. Clearly, it had an impact on his chance to land this job and now he’ll have to prove that it was the right decision.
Whether you love him or hate him, this is a huge opportunity for JJ and it’s no secret that the Lakers view him as somebody who can thrive in this role for decades to come. At the very least, he’s somebody who can play nice with LeBron James, whose happiness and loyalty are the top priority for the Lakers.
I think the Lakers would have been better off hiring a more experienced and established coach, but after Hurley spurned their offer, Redick was arguably the best man available. With free agency starting in a few months, the Lakers didn’t have much longer to wait and now they can begin the process of filling out his coaching staff with some of the best names in the business.
The important thing going forward for the Lakers is that they give Redick some time to learn on the job so he can coach to his maximum potential without fear of losing his position.
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