JJ Redick Not Fazed by Camp's Concerns About Lakers Job

The Los Angeles Lakers could be closing on their next head coach as Anthony Irwin reported Tuesday that JJ Redick will be the franchise’s new coach. Nothing has been made official by the Lakers or anyone else about the coaching vacancy.

Redick interviewed with the Lakers last weekend, as he met with general manager Rob Pelinka and LA’s brass. Shams Charania reported on Tuesday that Redick was “very impressive in his meetings” and remains the frontrunner for the head coaching job.

If the 39-year-old Redick were to become the next head coach of the Lakers, he would have a tall challenge ahead of him. Los Angeles parted ways with Darvin Ham, who was only with the organization for two years after leading them to the Western Conference Finals in 2022-23 and an in-season tournament title.

However, the Lakers were bounced in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Denver Nuggets in a disappointing fashion this season. Redick will try to avoid the same fate. 

Along those same lines, the former NBA player’s inner circle has reportedly asked him if coaching the Lakers is a great idea. Redick’s confidants mentioned how this is a challenging job, which isn’t a lie given the quick hooks we’ve seen for Ham and Frank Vogel.

Nonetheless, Redick isn’t shying away from the challenge of trying to lead a team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Charania also reports that Redick wants to coach “really badly.” If you are the Lakers’ brass, you must love hearing Redick’s eagerness to coach and take this opportunity.

At the same time, Los Angeles’ brass shouldn’t expect a miracle after one season as it will be up to Pelinka to give Redick the necessary pieces to succeed. The Lakers have James, Davis, and Austin Reaves, but after that, there are a lot of unknowns.

If the Lakers want this to work, everyone needs to be on the same page because this is a risky hire.

More Lakers news and analysis: