When the Los Angeles Lakers went through another coaching search this offseason, the name that emerged as the early favorite and eventually got hired was JJ Redick.
While Redick has never coached before, his basketball IQ was something that certainly stood out to the Lakers during the interview process. As a member of the media, Redick hosted multiple podcasts in which he broke down the game, including one with Lakers star LeBron James.
Redick and James quickly built a close relationship, and many people were under the assumption that the former got the Lakers job because of that. James is heading into his 22nd NBA season and had the ability to test free agency this offseason, so hiring his close friend as head coach would be one way to convince the superstar to stay.
In a recent interview with Dave McMenamin of ESPN though, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka explained that the hiring of Redick was not about James:
“It was very clear to us,” Pelinka said. “We were not trying to go out and hire a coach to coach LeBron’s final chapter. We weren’t. This was, could we find someone that would be really good at that? And I would assume LeBron would be very proud that someone like that is also helping his son learn the game. Someone that cerebral and that competitive and that motivated.
“But it’s setting up for the other side of that. And that kind of goes back into how are we going to prepare … so that when LeBron does step away, there’s not the cliff that maybe some other franchises have experienced.”
Since the hiring of Redick, the Lakers have made it clear that they are looking to build sustainable success, focusing on the draft and player development.
Those haven’t been areas of focus for the Lakers in the past, so they are taking a different approach moving forward and are hoping Redick is the right man to lead them in that.
Redick’s close relationship with James is certainly a bonus, but the Lakers are hoping to have a head coach in place for many years after LeBron retires.
Rob Pelinka says Lakers are striving for continuity
Having made a number of coaching and roster changes in recent years, Rob Pelinka stressed that obtaining continuity was a focus for the Lakers this offseason.
“Listen, continuity is an ingredient in sports that is always successful. If you look at sort of sustainable championship teams, there is continuity at the center of it. So that’s an ingredient that we strive for. That said, we’re not gonna settle into continuity or not looking for ways to improve our roster. But that will be through a lens and sort of making sure that is we do something, it’s super smart for both the now and the long-term. That’s a tight rope to balance on.”
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