Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick has a unique challenge ahead of him in the 2024-25 season. As things currently stand, Redick and his staff are the only major difference between last season and this one, as the roster has remained largely unchanged in the offseason.
Better health for players like Jarred Vanderbilt or Gabe Vincent could change some things, and a mid-season or late offseason trade is always possible. But right now, the roster looks nearly identical to what it was last season, meaning Redick needs to prove that coaching was the issue in order for L.A. to have success.
For Redick, getting Vanderbilt back into the regular rotation is intriguing. The new Lakers head coach spoke to what he likes about Vanderbilt and how he can use him this upcoming season, via Mike Trudell of Lakers.com:
“I have. I think the unique thing about Jarred, and a number of really good teams that made deep playoff runs have guys like him, that are energy, defense, ball hawks. He can sort of … I call them energy shifters. He can change the energy of an entire game, and he doesn’t have to do it with scoring, which makes him really unique. I can’t wait to coach him. Obviously he has some rehab to do for the rest of the summer, but when he’s healthy, he’s going to be a big part of what we do.”
Vanderbilt was supposed to be a big part of what the Lakers did last season, considering he went into the season as arguably the team’s best perimeter defender. The same is true of this season, meaning he’ll need to stay healthy if the Lakers want to improve upon their defense.
Redick is likely to be more of an offensive-minded head coach given who he was as a player, and he’ll have to get very creative to make Vanderbilt an effective player on that end of the court. But defensively, having Vanderbilt could make a huge difference, as his energy is something that won’t be affected by a long-term injury.
JJ Redick hoping to make Anthony Davis hub of Lakers offense
JJ Redick has spoken about Davis being a hub on offense, operating with the ball more and creating for others with more player movement. Davis is coming off his best season with the Lakers and taking the burden off LeBron James will only be possible with him operating at the highest level.
Davis has had some conversations with his new head coach and the two are on the same page about the star big man’s role on the team.
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