JJ Redick has been an incredible head coach find for the Los Angeles Lakers. The rookie coach is proving all the doubters wrong with his tactical aptitude. But Lakers owner Jeanie Buss revealed on Julian Edelman’s podcast that she was afraid of losing him as a coach after his family’s house burned down in the L.A. wildfires. Thankfully, Redick’s wife and family wanted to stay in the city and help rebuild the community.
“I was worried that his wife was going to [say], ‘Okay, I’m out. I’m done. This was not meant to be.’ Instead, they realized they wanted to be a part of rebuilding the community. They’ve already taken their place in the Laker family.”
Redick and his family had to evacuate their house due to the fires. However, he put things into perspective very well, noting that he didn’t want people to feel sorry for him after he had suffered this loss. The NBA community came together to support him, with Stephen Curry giving Redick’s sons signed jerseys to make up for them losing their jersey collection in the fires.
It’s wonderful to hear that Redick and his family have adjusted so well to life with the Lakers. Of course, Redick and his wife Chelsea will be familiar with life in Los Angeles, as Redick played for the Lakers’ cross-town rivals, the Clippers, from 2013 to 2017. But now, as head coach of the Lakers, Redick gets to experience life as a member of the purple and gold.
Redick has been marvelous as head coach, transforming the Lakers into a strong offensive and defensive team, especially in the aftermath of the Luka Doncic trade. Despite having no starting-level center at his disposal, Redick has drilled his players to play hard and defend aggressively on a nightly basis.
Redick Looking To Course Correct Lakers’ Form
The last two games have seen the Lakers’ impressive seven-game win streak come to an end, as they suffered consecutive losses to the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets. The loss to the Celtics is understandable, as they lost LeBron James to a groin injury midway through the game. But losing to the atrocious Nets, given the talent the Lakers had available, is unacceptable.
The Lakers have a tough three-game split coming up, as they play the Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, and Phoenix Suns all away from home. Redick will have to figure out a way to overcome all three tough teams during this stretch if he wants the team to stay competitive in the Western Conference come playoff time.
The Lakers currently have a 40-23 record in the West, which is good enough for the fourth seed. However, it is important to note that they have played three fewer games than the two teams tied for the second seed – the Nuggets and the Grizzlies. Should the Lakers win a good chunk of their coming games, they should be able to leapfrog them in the standings and secure the second seed.
LeBron James is in charge of deciding when he returns to the team. The All-Star returned to Los Angeles early to focus on his recovery, as he hopes to make a comeback soon and help the Lakers compete, especially in the playoffs.
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