It’s been a busy offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers front office. Not only did they work to draft LeBron James ’ son as a late second-round pick, but they also let go of Darvin Ham, who served as head coach for two seasons.
The purple and gold will have a new face leading the team next season, and of all the names shortlisted to take over, the franchise went with the most unexpected and least experienced one: JJ Redick .
What Redick should do
On June 24, 2024, Redick, a former NBA player turned podcaster, officially became the 29th head coach of the Lakers.
He now finds himself at the helm of one of the most legendary franchises in NBA history — 17 championships and most final appearances with 27.
Some see hiring JJ as a smart and logical move. He’s displayed a great basketball IQ as an analyst, knows the game inside and out after playing for fifteen years, and already shares a strong bond with the team’s biggest star, LeBron. The two even started a podcast together, which some say will only make Redick's transition to coaching smoother, as No. 23’s respect alone gives him a lot of cache in the locker room.
But not everyone is convinced he's the right guy for the job. Sure, he’s a brilliant analyst and had a solid playing career, but leading an NBA team is a whole new feel from being inside a podcast studio. Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal has one piece of advice for the 40-year-old.
“He has to learn the culture,” said the retired big man. “Know what guys like and what they don’t like. For example, you can’t yell at everybody.”
Related: "I am above all that" - Dennis Rodman once explained the difference between him and professional athletes
Following in great footsteps
Redick isn’t a total stranger to the L.A. basketball scene, though. He played four seasons with the Clippers from 2013 to 2017. During that stretch, he was one of the NBA’s premier long-range deadeyes, cashing 44.0% of his shots from behind the three-point line.
But now he has a much bigger role. Being inexperienced isn’t necessarily a downside for Redick, whom the Lakers have locked in with a four-year deal. He’ll look to follow in the footsteps of guys like Steve Kerr, who successfully made the leap from inexperienced to one of the best coaches in history.
O’Neal weighed in during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” where he brought up Lakers legend Phil Jackson as the ultimate example of how to manage a star-studded locker room. According to Shaq, if Redick wants to succeed in challenges, it’ll come down to managing egos and relationships.
“Phil Jackson was a master of that,” said O’Neal of Jackson’s coaching. “He brings us into the interview, but he was really trying to check out our psychological state. He would hand out these books. You can’t yell at certain players, so he’s going to have to know each individual, their dos and their don'ts, and what they can like. And if he gets on that good side, they’ll ride for him, but if he get on the guys bad side, that’s gonna make the job a lot harder.”
Phil often comes up in conversations about legendary NBA coaches. He has 11 NBA championships under his belt and managed to pull off a three-peat on three different occasions, twice with the Chicago Bulls and then with the Lakers.
Regardless of JJ’s preferred coaching style, it’ll inevitably take some trial and error to figure out what works best. He arguably has the most inflexible job in the world in terms of timeline, as we’ve discovered about the Lakers over the last several seasons.
Related: “I know one thing, players ain’t gonna question his knowledge” - Stephen A. hurls back at Shaq’s recent take on JJ Redick
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