Getty Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick.
New Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick has a daunting task ahead of him, taking over as skipper for one of the NBA’s most storied franchises.
Getting his players to buy in is key, and Redick already has a headstart given his preexisting relationship with Lakers star LeBron James, his co-host on the “Mind The Game” podcast. The rookie head coach has more than James’ favor, though.
Prized contributor Austin Reaves delivered an emphatic endorsement of his new coach.
“I’ve gotten to know JJ a little bit, going on his podcast during the middle of the year. He’s a basketball genius, I think as everybody knows. And I think he’s gonna make a good coach, and I can’t wait to get to work with him. He actually texted me yesterday and wanted to get on a call,” Reaves told THV11’s Cierra Clark on June 22. “I just can’t wait to put our brains together and go have a good year.”
I asked Lakers star and Arkansas native Austin Reaves about the hiring of new Lakers coach JJ Reddick. Reaves says Reddick is a basketball genius and he can’t wait to work with him. #LakeShow
This is another encouraging sign after Reaves’ agent, Aaron Reilly, told fans to keep tabs on the naysayers who suggested the Lakers need to trade for a third star.
“This coach is about to show a different part of Austin’s game none have you seen. Kept receipts on all that third superstar b*******,” Reilly posted on X on June 20 in response to a fan suggesting Reaves and Redick would mesh well.
“Great hire for LA – going to be a big year next season.”
JJ Redick a ‘High-Risk, High-Reward’ Hire for Lakers
Reddick takes over a team that is coming off back-to-back postseason appearances under his predecessor, Darvin Ham. But they needed the Play-In Tournament each year
After being in the Western Conference Finals in 2022-23, they lost in the first round in 2023-24.
“This is a high-risk, high-reward move by the Lakers, no doubt,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on “Sports Center with Scott Van Pelt” on June 21. “Whe you hire a first-time head coach, I don’t care what the circumstances are. I don’t care if you’re expected to finish last or first. You are admitting that you are gonna have to live with mistakes. JJ Redick will make mistakes that will probably cost the Lakers games.
“He really wants this job. Really really wants to succeed at this job This is not something he’s trying out. He wants it. He’s going to be tactically excellent. He’s gons some ideas on how to improve them. And we’ll see. High risk, high reward.”
“I don’t appreciate or like how JJ Redick has been talked about by a lot of people who have been coworkers of JJ Redick.”
Windhorst went on to put Redick among some notable names in terms of the cache he will have in the locker room, including Los Angeles Clippers coach Ty Lue.
Lakers Rumored Trade Target Causes Stir
Reaves’ agent suggests the Lakers do not need to add a third star. But new rumors link them to a possible renewed pursuit for one in Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray.
“One name that they did pursue last season at the trade deadline that I think teams around the league expect to come up again in trade conversations over the next week or so and make sense for the Lakers is Dejounte Murray with the Hawks,” The Athletic’s Shams Charania said on the “Pat McAfee Show” on June 21. “The Lakers have maintained a level of interest in Dejounte Murray over the last several months.”
Murray set off a minor internet frenzy with a pair of posts after the report, quickly deleting one.
@DejounteMurray Can’t wait till you in this purple and gold threads playing for a championship
Murray previously posted on Instagram that he felt empowered by trade rumors, which have followed him since the trade deadline. Rumors have linked the Hawks star to the New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs as a potential trade target.