The Los Angeles Lakers have been led by first-time head coach JJ Redick this season, and have had relatively strong results. Behind superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and the emergence of Austin Reaves as a bonafide third option and primary playmaker, the Lakers are 27-19 through 46 games, good enough for fifth in the Western Conference.
Through 46 games in 2023-24 under Darvin Ham, the Lakers were 23-23. The year prior, they were 21-25. In fact, it’s the Lakers best start in four years, when they were 29-17 in 2020-21 under head coach Frank Vogel with a much different roster that only shared James and Davis with the current group.
So by most measures, Redick’s first season as a head coach has been strong thus far. And it gets even better when including his relationships with players like Reaves. Redick has helped the fourth-year guard blossom in 2024-25, and part of the reason for that is the implicit trust the two have built together.
Reaves spoke about that trust on The Young Man and the Three with Duncan Robinson of the Miami Heat:
“Yeah, I think it’s just, like you said, becoming closer. I mean, he can say anything to me. If it’s the middle of the game, he can sit there and cuss me out if he wants and I know it’s coming from a good place because I’ve spent so much time with him on a human level. So it’s really that. And he’s told me multiple times, if there’s a situation where I need to cuss him, he was like ‘Go ahead, I’m not going to hold anything against you. We’re both competitors and we both want to win.’ So that was really the main thing, we can always be honest with each other.”
Given that trust, Reaves was able to give Redick an honest evaluation as a head coach. He spoke about one of the main things that Redick is still working through — his on-court temper — and what the head coach’s biggest pet peeve is for the Lakers this season:
“I think he’s still learning in that aspect. Because he’s such a competitor, and I personally couldn’t do it as a coach. I would spaz out every chance I get. And you see situations where he’s about to, and he reels it back because he knows everything isn’t going to be perfect. He always says as long as we’re competing our ass off, then he can live with any result. But it’s just when we aren’t competing as hard as we should, that’s what really really bothers him.”
Redick has certainly had a few moments of eruption on the Lakers sideline this season, but it stems from a place of deep care and love for his team, and that is very apparent. The Lakers have improved from last year to this year despite very few changes to the roster, even if they aren’t yet championship contenders.
And as Redick continues to grow as a head coach, those relationships will continue to grow as well.
JJ Redick not a fan of proposed switch to 10-minute quarters
As a player and an analyst, JJ Redick has seen plenty of changes to the league from a rules and officiating standpoint. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has tried to find ways to make the on-court product more enjoyable while simultaneously adding things like the Play-In Tournament and Emirates NBA Cup.
Silver recently suggested the idea of shortening quarters to 10 minutes instead of 12 minutes and Redick had a very strong opinion on the topic.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
