Why Lakers players are 'excited' about JJ Redick's first season as head coach

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JJ Redick has yet to coach his first official NBA game, but the Los Angeles Lakers players are reportedly pretty jazzed about the hire already.

The Lakers are in the midst of training camp and appear to be vibing with their new head coach, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

“The early sense is how detail-oriented JJ Redick is, the focus that he has, and how much he lives, eats, and just digests basketball on a daily basis. That is what everyone in Los Angeles that I speak to says about JJ Redick. And I had one person with the Lakers tell me the other day, the accountability and how detailed he is and focus with his game planning, his prep, his out-of-bounds plays, that is what gets players up and gets them excited about this. And right now, he has LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ buy-in, and that’s the most important part.”

"The early sense is how detail-oriented JJ Redick is, the focus that he has… The accountability… focus with his game planning… that is what gets players up & gets them excited about this."@ShamsCharania on the early vibes at Lakers training camp.pic.twitter.com/rdwPz4Owd9

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 10, 2024

JJ Redick entering first season as Lakers head coach

Redick, a 15-year NBA veteran, had never coached at any level other than his son’s youth basketball team before being hired by the Lakers this summer. Although he had also interviewed for the vacant Charlotte Hornets head coaching job, Redick’s hiring by the Lakers was met with criticism and accusations that LeBron James, who co-hosted a podcast with Redick during last season, hand-picked Redick to replace Darvin Ham as the Lakers’ coach.

To help make up for his lack of coaching experience, Redick hired former NBA head coaches Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks, who have each coached multiple NBA teams for more than 30 years of combined experience. Additionally, 2024 G League Coach of the Year Lindsey Harding and Bob Beyer, who was a part of Stan Van Gundy’s staffs with the Orlando Magic and New Orleans Pelicans when Redick played for the teams, joined Redick as assistant coaches for this season.

Unlike Ham, his much-maligned predecessor, Redick’s role with the Lakers could prove to be more developmentally-focused. While Los Angeles will still be expected to be competitive considering James and Davis are on the roster, how or if Redick and his staff can bring along James’ son, Bronny James, as well as some of the other young players like first-round pick Dalton Knecht, Max Christie, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and Maxwell Lewis will be interesting to watch.

The Lakers enter the season tied for the 10th-best odds to win the NBA championship this year (+4000, according to FanDuel) and, barring a trade, will likely continue to be heavily dependent on LeBron, the NBA’s oldest player who will turn 40 in December, and Davis, who has struggled to stay healthy consistently throughout his career.

The Lakers open the regular season on Oct. 22 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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