Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that JJ Redick is the Los Angeles Lakers’ next head coach.
LA Lakers. Ever when the franchise dismissed Darvin Ham on May 3, he was seen as the clear favourite for the job. Selecting Ham’s replacement was a slow process for Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front management.
Dan Hurley of UConn was not successfully pursued, leaving the Lakers looking dumb. Still, they remained true to their beliefs and worked hard to find a new leader. Redick seemed to have made a lasting impression on the Lakers front staff during his Saturday visit.
The Lakers took a calculated gamble when they hired Redick. Because of his basketball IQ, he is well-liked in the basketball community despite lacking professional coaching expertise. Redick analyses the match. He’s had a close bond with LeBron James as well. He should thus have no trouble establishing a connection with the rest of the Lakers locker room.
Nevertheless, Pelinka and the front desk need to allow Redick some time to adjust to his new position. To expect him to jump right in would be unreasonable. During the season, Redick will probably have to come to some realisations. His task will only become more difficult due to Los Angeles’ glaring lights. But Redick was aware of it when he took the job.
The Lakers can at least finally put their coaching search behind them and focus on getting ready for the next campaign. In the next days, Redick will surely start assembling his coaching staff. Additionally, he will know which positions on the roster require reinforcement. Luckily for Redick, he and James have probably had extensive discussions on how to improve the squad.
Redick is placing a self-bet. The Lakers are also placing bets on him. Even then, this disclosure felt inevitable after weeks of flirting. At last, we will be able to discover just how excellent a coach Redick can become. Or if podcasting and the media were more his style.