The best franchises throughout all of sports are not only able to identify and bring in talented players, but are also able to develop them into the best players they can be. This is something that is extremely important to new Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick.
Obviously the Lakers have their superstars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but the team also has promising young players such as Austin Reaves, Max Christie, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Maxwell Lewis and the team’s 2024 draft picks Dalton Knecht and Bronny James. Getting the most out of these players and future young talents is clearly a top priority for Redick.
The Lakers coach recently discussed his vision for the franchise’s player development program and the team’s plans to hire a new director for that program very soon.
“I think just in general, the player development program we’re trying to build is holistic,” Redick said. “I think oftentimes when people talk about player development, they talk about ball-handling and shooting and passing and certainly the mechanics of playing basketball are an important part of player development. But it’s also tactical.
“It’s about reads, it’s about incorporating film and incorporating analytics. We will hopefully in the next few days or a couple weeks hire a director of player development that sees my vision.”
Redick would continue on about his views on development being more than just the on-court skills work, but also the mental side and off-court things.
“It’s nutrition, it’s how you take care of your body, your work in the weight room,” the Lakers coach added. “There’s also, I think a big part of player development, for someone who has lived in this league for a long time, a big part of this is the mental development and all the ups and downs that come.
“I had a chance to spend a few minutes with Dalton this morning and one of the things we talked about is just being open minded, having an openness and just letting go of outcomes. The thing that excites me about both these guys is that their base of basketball is as workers. That’s a great starting point to develop into a great NBA player.”
Putting a priority on player development and really building out a staff dedicated to this is something that is long overdue for this Lakers franchise. Obviously there are immediate desires to compete for a championship, but Redick is also trying to ensure the future of this franchise is built properly as well.
Scott Brooks, Nate McMillan hired as top assistants on JJ Redick’s Lakers staff
JJ Redick and the Lakers have also been hard at work building his coaching staff. They were openly seeking multiple former head coaches to be part of the staff and have now accomplished that goal.
The Lakers have reportedly hired Scott Brooks and Nate McMillan to be the top assistants on Redick’s staff. The pair have nearly 30 years of head coach experience between them with McMillan most recently serving as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks while Brooks has been the top assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers after five years as head coach of the Washington Wizards.
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