The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled to find stability at the head coaching position since general manager Rob Pelinka took over. But after arriving on JJ Redick, he put together a strong rookie season with plenty of adversity thrown his way.
There were instances of flaws, especially during the playoffs, with his rotation. However, that comes with the territory as Redick navigates through the challenges of being an NBA head coach.
On the other hand, Redick is a competitor and wants to win by any means necessary. One can assume he spent most of the summer reevaluating his mistakes and how he can better transition to his second season in L.A.
As a bode of confidence, Pelinka and company rewarded their coach with a two-year contract extension this offseason. In a reality where coaches have a short leash, the front office went against that grain and Redick appreciates the confidence they have in him.
“Yeah, with Rob, we have a lot of the same philosophies on life,” Redick said at his recent press conference. “One of the words we always talk about is gratitude. So I think it just starts with a high level of gratitude to the Lakers, to Mark, Jeanie and Rob to have that confidence in me and it’s not lost on me this sort of rarity of a first-time head coach getting an extension. I recognize how fortunate I am to be in an organization that supports me in that way.”
Taking another gamble on a coach with zero experience after firing another first-time head coach in Darvin Ham was an interesting choice by the Lakers. However, seeing how Redick digests basketball, he truly knows how today’s NBA operates and has already proven to be a good coach and leader.
Outside of his knowledge, he is an elite communicator due to his 15-year playing career and talking with players constantly when he was in the media field. Those two traits tend to get overlooked, especially communicating, as it maintains the buy-in through the highs and lows of an 82-game season.
Hopefully, Redick experiences natural growth this season and the Lakers’ investment in him pays off. Having a steady figure as head coach would be a nice change of pace and tends to lead to winning by avoiding constant turnover.
JJ Redick pleased with Lakers’ commitment after asking to be in championship shape
After losing in five games in the first round last season, it was clear the Lakers could not withstand a physical Minnesota Timberwolves team. Players also struggled to withstand heavy playoff minutes.
With that, JJ Redick made sure to emphasize the point of being in better shape this season and he is pleased with the reception he’s received so far.
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