Before the Los Angeles Lakers hired JJ Redick as their new head coach, they were involved in a public pursuit of Dan Hurley, UConn’s head honcho. That pursuit began after the Lakers started talking to Redick and while some would have been offended by it, the 40-year-old claimed he wasn’t.
“I was getting ready to call Game 1 of the NBA Finals when the Dan Hurley news broke,” Redick said during his introductory press conference. “And Rob (Pelinka) was quick to call me, we had a great conversation.
“During that whole four-day period, at no point was my ego or feelings hurt or bruised in any way,” Redick continued. “Dan Hurley is a two-time national champion at UConn. I am a two-time 55 Swish League champion in the third and fourth-grade division. Like, I understood, you know? I understood.”
"Dan Hurley is a two-time national champion at UConn. I am a two-time 55 Swish League Champion in the 3rd and 4th grade division. I understood."
— JJ Redick on the Lakers' former interest in Dan Hurley pic.twitter.com/FwM5vPJPYI
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 24, 2024
Redick appeared to be the clear frontrunner for the job, when news broke on June 6, that the Lakers wanted Hurley to be their new head coach. It caught everyone by surprise, including Redick, who appreciated Lakers GM Rob Pelinka quickly calling him to talk on the matter.
Redick understood why the Lakers would pursue Hurley. On the one hand, you had a man who led the Huskies to back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024, and on the other, one who had never coached in high school, college, or the NBA.
If there was a chance the Lakers could get Hurley, no one was going to blame them for going with the 51-year-old over Redick. Ultimately, though, they failed in that pursuit, as Hurley rejected the Lakers’ six-year, $70 million offer. While that contract would have made him one of the highest-paid coaches in the league, it was still termed underwhelming.
The Lakers had egg on their face following Hurley’s rejection, but it didn’t take them too long to finalize a deal with Redick after that. He signed a four-year contract that would pay him approximately $8 million annually.
Many have questioned the hiring of Redick due to the aforementioned lack of experience, but he is confident he is up for the task. He even joked about that fact being constantly brought up during his press conference.
“I have never coached in the NBA before, I don’t know if you guys have heard that,” Redick said.
“I have never coached in the NBA before… I don't know if you guys have heard that.”
JJ has jokes in his debut as Lakers’ HC 😂 https://t.co/9BU4A6gvp8
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 24, 2024
Redick certainly made a good impression during his press conference, but I think we all knew he would. He is great in front of a microphone and what we need to see is how great he is when that coaching board is in front of him.
JJ Redick Believes Anthony Davis Is One Of The Five Best Defenders In The NBA
Following that press conference, Redick also sat down for an interview with ESPN Los Angeles. When asked if there was something that needed to be corrected with the Lakers based on what he had seen while announcing, Redick pointed to the defense and praised Anthony Davis.
“I would say the thing that jumps out to me the most is just having clear and concise roles and communication on defense,” Redick said. “We have Anthony Davis, he’s a top-five defensive player in the NBA, he’s one of the five best defenders in the NBA. I think historically if you have one of those guys, you should have a top-five or top 10 defense.”
(starts at 8:03 mark):
Redick didn’t have Davis on his ballot for either of the All-Defensive teams, so that was an interesting comment. Some wondered after the hire if that action might cause some problems, but it was reported that Davis had no issues with Redick snubbing him from his All-Defensive teams.
While Redick wants to sort out some of the issues he saw on defense, there is also one significant change that he plans on making on offense. He wants LeBron James to shoot more threes after he shot a career-high 41.0% from beyond the arc last season. It will be interesting to see just how different the Lakers are next season as compared to 2023-24.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
