Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick will have pressure on him for the jump as the expectation is to compete for championships before the LeBron James and Anthony Davis era comes to an end.
Considering Redick is a first-time head coach, Shaquille O’Neal is expecting the Lakers to start off slow this season. One other reason that is possible is both James and Davis are coming off gold medal runs with Team USA in the Paris Olympics this summer.
With that being the case, it’s possible the Lakers limit their workloads early in the year to ensure they stay healthy and fresh for the stretch run.
Redick is not concerned about his two stars though despite their Olympic runs, as he explained on Spectrum’s Lakeshow Podcast:
“I mean, look, those guys are professionals in every sense of the word. My concern for them about whether or not they’ll be ready to play on Oct. 22 and be in shape, I don’t have that concern. We’re gonna work with Mike and Ish making sure that they feel that they’re in a great place to start the regular season. They’ll certainly be involved in training camp and the preseason here in September as well as preseason games.”
James and Davis both looked incredible during their time with Team USA, giving Redick and the Lakers optimism about the upcoming season.
They are both known as extremely hard workers, which is why it’s understandable that Redick is not concerned. There’s no denying that Davis and James, in particular, are getting up there in age and mileage though, so their workloads will definitely be worth monitoring early in the season as the Lakers cannot afford to be without either of their stars for an extended period of time.
JJ Redick wanted ‘sickos’ on Lakers coaching staff
After getting the Lakers job, JJ Redick’s primary focus was on putting together a great coaching staff, and he recently revealed that he was looking for ‘sickos’ that work extremely hard.
“I’m mostly excited just to work, just being in the gym out here in this facility with the guys and our coaching staff. That’s been the best part… It’s been fascinating because you’re fitting puzzle pieces together about skillsets and personalities. I couldn’t be happier with the staff that we’ve built here, we have a blend of youth, experience. Obviously Nate (McMillan) and Scotty (Brooks), but also Bob Beyer, who has been at the front of the bench for almost two decades in the NBA. The biggest thing for me was I wanted to make sure I had a bunch of sickos on my staff and I think I’ve accomplished that. They’re grinders.”
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