Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA At present/Reuters
JJ Redick tells NBA reporters he has expertise of other forms that may make him a great head coach.
CNN
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Former longtime NBA taking pictures guard JJ Redick, who has no prior teaching expertise within the league, was launched Monday because the Los Angeles Lakers’ subsequent coach.
Redick, who celebrated his fortieth birthday Monday, replaces Darvin Ham, who was fired in Might after two seasons with the Lakers.
“I’ve zero teaching expertise within the NBA, however I might argue that I’m very skilled and it began 22 years in the past once I went to Duke and I acquired to play for Coach Okay (Mike Krzyzewski) for 4 years, spent 15 years as a (NBA) participant,” he mentioned.
Redick mentioned the previous three years – by which he’s labored as a podcaster and ESPN analyst – have been invaluable in his preparation.
“With the ability to join with the gamers, speaking to them on the podcast, being in teaching interviews with ESPN calling video games, analyzing the sport in three totally different codecs. All of that has helped put together me to be an NBA head coach,” he mentioned
Redick performed 15 seasons within the league for six groups earlier than changing into an NBA analyst for ESPN in 2021.
Requested by a reporter whether or not he had heard any misconceptions or considerations about himself in current weeks in the course of the hiring course of that he felt the necessity to dispel, Redick was blunt. “It’s a legitimate query, and I’ve definitely heard every little thing. … Nevertheless, I don’t actually have an amazing reply in your query as a result of I actually don’t give a f**okay. Like truthfully,” he mentioned. “I wish to coach the Lakers. I wish to coach the workforce. I don’t wish to dispel something… I wish to develop into an amazing coach within the NBA.”
The person who employed Redick mentioned he was at all times on their A-list.
“It was very evident that he had a novel perspective and philosophy on basketball and the way it’s to be taught,” Lakers Vice President of Basketball Operations and Normal Supervisor Rob Pelinka mentioned on the information convention.
Pelinka mentioned he and Redick share “a basketball philosophy that was very related and it was based mostly on excessive degree technique, it was based mostly on a sure manner of speaking with gamers and instructing them,” in addition to “prioritizing participant growth.”
Redick indicated he’d prefer to see Lakers star ahead and the NBA’s all-time main scorer LeBron James take extra threes after taking pictures higher than 40% this season, however he nonetheless must have a dialog with James.
“You must definitely get buy-in and discuss to him about how he needs to play,” Redick mentioned. “It’s actually simply determining within the half courtroom, placing him in several spots each as a scorer and a facillitator.”
Redick co-hosts a basketball podcast with James. But it surely’s unclear whether or not he’ll get to educate James, who in 5 days has the selection of exercising a contract possibility or shifting on subsequent season.
James has indirectly addressed his future with the workforce nor whether or not he would return for his twenty second NBA season.
On April 30, James posted on X, “I’ve seen, heard a whole lot of reviews about my future. I mentioned it final night time and I’ll say it once more. I have no idea but as I’m solely fascinated with spending time with my household & pals!
“Once I know after talking with the fam, my counsel in addition to my illustration about it then you definately guys will know.”
Redick mentioned he sees nine-time all-star middle Anthony Davis as a “hub” of the workforce subsequent season so the Lakers can maximize his talents. He mentioned he spoke to Davis a couple of week in the past about concepts he has for Davis’ roles on offense and protection.
“I feel each of us felt actually comfy going ahead with that form of as the bottom place to begin of how he’s gonna play on this workforce,” Redick mentioned.
This isn’t the primary time the Lakers have employed somebody with no teaching expertise to information the workforce: With the workforce struggling in 1994, proprietor Jerry Buss put Magic Johnson is cost for the ultimate 16 video games, and he posted a 5-11 report earlier than resigning and changing into a part-owner.
Earlier this month, College of Connecticut males’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley spurned the Lakers for his or her then-vacant head teaching job to remain and chase a third-straight nationwide title with the Huskies.
The Lakers had supplied the coach of the defending back-to-back NCAA champion Huskies a six-year, $70 million contract, based on ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Redick mentioned he had no points with the Lakers’ pursuit of Hurley.
“At no level was my ego or emotions harm or bruised in any manner,” he mentioned. “Dan Hurley is a two-time nationwide champion at UConn. I’m a two-time 55 Swiss league champion within the third and 4th grade division – like, I understood.”
Final season, Los Angeles was eradicated from the playoffs in 5 video games, dropping to the then-reigning champion Denver Nuggets for the second straight postseason.
The Lakers at the moment maintain the seventeenth choice in Thursday’s 2024 NBA Draft.