One of the questions that persists around the Los Angeles Lakers amid what has been a decidedly tumultuous season has been the job security of coach JJ Redick. The Lakers have gone 103-61 in his two seasons as coach, but were eliminated in five games in the first round of last year’s playoffs and could well be in line for another first-round exit this season, as they taker on the Rockets without stars Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic available.
Moreover, the Lakers might move on from free-agent star LeBron James this offseason, and at least in terms of perception, it was James who was most responsible for the hiring of Redick, his former podcast partner. Add in a change of ownership from Jeanie Buss to Mark Walter, and there are plenty of reasons to be concerned for Redick’s future as the team’s coach.
And one more wrinkle: Redick typically takes a harsh tone with players, even in public, and there was speculation (specifically from former player Jeff Teague) that Lakers players would be put off by Redick’s style and, as Teague said on his “Club 520 Podcast,” “JJ won’t be the coach next year. He is going to get fired. Nobody’s going to—people are going to stop liking him.”
Lakers Have ‘0%’ Chance of Firing JJ Redick
Not a chance, said Lakers insider Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Appearing on the “Run it Back” podcast, Buha said that Redick is eminently safe in his position as the Lakers coach, despite the controversy and changes going on around him.
Said Buha of the Redick firing possibility: “I’ll shut that down. There’s a zero percent chance. They love JJ. This is a guy that they hand-picked. There was a lot of skepticism. Oh, this guy’s a podcaster. He got some buzz as a coaching candidate but there was still a leap of faith there, hiring him, having zero head-coaching experience. This is a guy they have compared internally to Pat Riley. That’s a very serious comparison internally for the Lakers. Pat’s the second-greatest coach in franchise history behind Phil Jackson.
“So, no. JJ is in great standing, back-to-back 50-win seasons, back-to-back going higher than preseason projections in terms of win-loss and seeding. We’ll see how the playoffs go but he’s not in jeopardy at all.”
Pat Riley Comparison a Bit Absurd
Now, the comparison to Riley has some basis in reality, because Riley took over the Lakers in 1981 after having been a minor player, a broadcaster and a short-term assistant coach. But that falls apart really quickly with the mere fact that the Lakers won a championship in Riley’s first season and went to the Finals four straight seasons. Redick has one playoff win to his credit thus far.
Redick has some ability, no question, and the Lakers have been a good–not great–team under his tutelage. The injuries this season will earn him a pass if the Lakers are eliminated in the playoffs, but at some point, Redick will need to produce postseason results. He won’t get fired. But he’s not Pat Riley, either.
Lakers Already Have Decision on JJ Redick Job Speculation