Why Lakers' JJ Redick has no 'concern' about LeBron James, Anthony Davis after Olympics
09/08/2024 10:05 PM
After hiring JJ Redick, the Los Angeles Lakers plan to install stability and continuity in a team in transition since the 2020 NBA championship. Hiring three coaches in four years is not conducive to a winning culture, which probably explains why the team hired a young and first-time coach. However, could JJ Redick help carry the load for veteran superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, especially after winning gold at the Olympics?
In a recent interview with the LakeShow Podcast, Redick placed his trust in the leadership and capability of his stars to take care of themselves.
“Look, those guys are professionals in every sense of the word. My concern for them about whether or not they’ll be ready to play on October 22 and be in shape, I don’t have that concern. We’re gonna work with Mike and Ish making sure that they feel that they’re in a great place to start the regular season. They’ll certainly be involved in training camp and the preseason here in September as well as preseason games,” the first-time coach said.
Can the Lakers bounce back?
In fairness, Darvin Ham adeptly navigated the Lakers through the Russell Westbrook saga, managing to keep the team together despite starting the 2022-2023 season with a 2-10 record. After a series of trades fixed the Westbrook miscalculation, the team surged all the way to the Western Conference Finals, where the eventual champions Denver Nuggets swept them.
Still, it was an admirable effort, and fans believed the Lakers could finally become contenders again, especially after adding playoff performers like Gabe Vincent and tall big men like Christian Wood. However, Ham’s screwy lineups and in-game decisions ruined team chemistry, causing the team to sputter into the postseason again.
The Lakers decided to fire Darvin Ham after they lost 4-1 to the Nuggets in the first round. Throughout the series, Ham watched his team give away double-digit lead after double-digit lead, barely running offensive sets and adjusting to Mike Malone’s schemes.
Now, especially after the Dan Hurley fiasco, fans pray JJ Redick won’t tinker too much with the lineups and actually run offensive sets to maximize LeBron James and Anthony Davis, still one of the deadliest tandems in the NBA, as they proved in the Paris Olympics.
However, the Bron-AD pairing might already be on the downslope, and Redick faces additional pressure of winning a ring before the inevitable rebuild.
While it’s too much to hope for a championship right away, the new Lakers coach should try actually avoiding the play-in for the third straight year. So far, the Lakers have only added Bronny James and Dalton Knecht, a draft-day steal, so all eyes will be on the former podcast host and TV analyst as he navigates the Western Conference minefield.
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