With the 2024 NBA Draft just around the corner, the Los Angeles Lakers have finally found a new head coach with the expected hire of JJ Redick.
This represents a gamble for the Lakers as Redick has yet to coach above the youth level up to this point.
However, it could also pay off for L.A. as Redick has been in the media field for several years, displaying his basketball knowledge, notably with his “Mind the Game” podcast featuring LeBron James, who could become someone he coaches next season.
Former Los Angeles Lakers championship guard Derek Fisher knows the position that Redick is in. He went straight from playing to being the head coach of the New York Knicks a few years back. With that being the case, Fisher believes the work Redick has done in the media can actually benefit him as he goes into coaching, via Broderick Turner of the L.A. Times:
“If JJ does get the job, JJ has been out of the game for a few years and had an opportunity to be around guys in other settings,” said Derek Fisher, the Crespi High coach who won five NBA titles with the Lakers before he became a first-time coach with the New York Knicks in 2014.
Fisher went on to add that hosting a podcast with James will help ease the pressure of being a first-time head coach:
“Like, he has a podcast with LeBron. That didn’t necessarily exist when I was making that transition. But it’s a good example of how different that is for even a guy that may not have previous experience coaching. It’s really the relationships with players that drive your success to a large degree anyway. So, if you’re in a position where you have that to lean on, it does help cushion the experience part. That’s something that the collection of individuals on the staff can help offset the lack of coaching experience.”
Despite that, coaching the Lakers presents a tall task as L.A. needs to win right away and cannot afford to waste time trying to get Redick acclimated. So should he ultimately get this position, one can hope that his experience in media will pay dividends in the long run.
Lakers coach JJ Redick had interest from Pistons
The Lakers decided to act quick in hiring Redick, which made sense after he started to get linked to the Detroit Pistons after they fired Monty Williams.
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