Head coach JJ Redick has done a phenomenal job of getting the Los Angeles Lakers back on track in his first year on the job.
The Lakers are currently the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference following their win over the L.A. Clippers, a credit to Redick who coached a great game despite being without rotation staples like Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.
Los Angeles has been enjoying a lot of good basketball at all levels the past few weeks, with UCLA and USC recently tipping off against each other for the Big Ten regular season title. USC beat UCLA 80-67 and JuJu Watkins starred in the matchup as he dropped 30 points to go along with five assists, three rebounds, two steals and three blocks.
Redick spent the Lakers’ off day watching Watkins play for the first time in person and gave her high praise after her performance.
“It was awesome. It’s such a cool experience to go to a high-level college basketball game,” Redick said. “I had actually never been in Pauley Pavilion before and had wanted to go to a game all season. Just the schedule hadn’t allowed it. We were in a hotel right near there for six weeks and drove by on a number of game days when I was coming here or coming back from here. There was one game recently that was like an off day and people were turning in to go to the game and I was like crap, I wish I would’ve looked at the schedule, I actually would’ve gone today.
“My youngest son has a classmate whose dad works for UCLA, so I saw him at school this past week and was like ‘I really wanna go to the game on Saturday. So he hooked us up, and just really impressed with both teams. JuJu Watkins is one of one. She’s incredible. First time seeing her play in person but obviously I’ve watched her before. She lived up to the hype.”
Watkins is dominating the women’s college game and is a sure-fire future first overall pick in the WNBA. She is a rare athlete who can score from all over the floor while still impacting the game defensively.
Watkins has a bright professional career ahead of her, but in the meantime the Lakers will be looking to get back to the Finals and bring home their own trophy.
JJ Redick says Jordan Goodwin will be part of rotation
JJ Redick has a knack for getting the most out of his team, which now includes Jordan Goodwin. The guard signed a two-way contract with the Lakers midway through the season but Redick has already confirmed he’ll be in the rotation going forward.
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