The Los Angeles Lakers search for a new head coach to replace Darvin Ham has had its fair share of twists and turns. That included UConn’s Dan Hurley turning down the gig earlier in June.
With the 2024 NBA Draft less than a week away, general manager Rob Pelinka and Co. knew that they had to make a hire.
Throughout pretty much the entire process, former NBA player JJ Redick has been bandied about as a possibility.
About that?
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday that the Lakers have signed Redick to a four-year contract to become their new head coach.
While the move is not necessarily too surprising given Los Angeles’ interest, Redick has absolutely no experience as a coach at any level. It’s certainly a risk for the once-proud Lakers organization to take. Woj explained the reasoning behind this hiring.
“Pelinka became sold on Redick’s ability to connect with players and his basketball IQ and believes surrounding him with an elite coaching staff will help to shorten the learning curve into his first coaching job, sources said.”
Report on the Los Angeles Lakers hiring JJ Redick
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This hiring comes at an important time for the Lakers. LeBron James is slated to opt out of his contract and could potentially hit NBA free agency.
Los Angeles is coming off a down 2023-24 season that saw the team fall to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. As currently formed, the Lakers’ roster is not championship caliber.
The expectation is that Redick will bring in experienced assistant coaches with him to Southern California. The former Duke star played in the NBA from 2006-2021. So, he has experience in that regard.