Joel Embiid isn’t sure his former teammate JJ Redick made a good call by taking over as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. In an interview with David Marchese of the New York Times, Embiid shared his concerns regarding Redick signing up for that job.
“If I was him, I don’t know if that’s a perfect situation,” Embiid said. “Maybe he thinks that’s a perfect situation. But if you’re coming in, especially with a job like the Lakers, it’s kind of a make-or-break situation, because if you succeed, great, you’re going to be coaching for years. But if you don’t succeed, those coaches are usually bound to be fired within a year or two. I love him, I’m happy for him, but that’s a tough job.”
It is indeed a tough one. Redick, who was a teammate of Embiid’s from 2017 to 2019, is the seventh full-time head coach the Lakers have hired since Phil Jackson’s departure in 2011. None of the previous six lasted for more than three seasons, including experienced coaches like Mike Brown, Mike D’Antoni, and Byron Scott.
To add to the Lakers factor, Redick is also coaching a team that has LeBron James and Anthony Davis on it, so in some ways, the clock is already ticking. The 40-year-old at least appears to have the support of both of the stars, which is a positive.
Redick is taking over a team that finished with a 47-35 record last season and got eliminated in the first round of the playoff by the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers seem to believe he can get more out of this group than Darvin Ham, but will he? I don’t think anyone can say for sure, at this point, as he has no coaching experience whatsoever.
The Lakers reportedly believe Redick could be their version of Erik Spoelstra or Steve Kerr but that’s the absolute best-case scenario. I would say there is a much better chance that he will no longer be the head coach in three years than that of him becoming as successful as Spoelstra or Kerr.
JJ Redick Spoke On His Past Comments About The Lakers Head Coaching Job Not Being A Good One
After Frank Vogel was fired by the Lakers in 2022, Redick stated that it wasn’t a good job for anyone to take over. So, when he took the job in 2024, those comments unsurprisingly resurfaced. In a recent interview, Redick finally addressed his past comments about the Lakers head coaching job.
“I did not address it with Rob. We didn’t feel the need to address it,” Redick said, referring to Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka. “Look, I think when you think about certain jobs, you have to look at the life cycle of the team.”
“And I think there’s a component to my comments about what actually is the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Same with Derek Fisher. What does it mean to be the head coach of the New York Knicks, for Joe Mazzula, what does it mean to be the head coach of the Boston Celtics? Those jobs are different than any other job in this league. And there’s an inherent pressure regardless of where that life cycle is.”
“I want that challenge. I’m not going to run from that challenge,” Redick continued. “You certainly have to look at what I think is actually a very good roster, a very balanced roster. We’d love, you know, we tried, but we’d love to at some point get another five-man, you know, a big bruising five-man.”
Redick certainly isn’t a man lacking in confidence. He is up for the challenge and we now wait and see if he can be the one to lead the Lakers back to the top of the mountain.
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