Lakers Already Setting JJ Redick up for Failure

The Los Angeles Lakers finally announced the hiring of JJ Redick after a long evaluation period. Now, Redick will get to work before the 2024 NBA Draft and free agency to make sure to build a competitive roster in the final stretch of LeBron James' career.

This is certainly an exciting opportunity for Redick. The 39-year-old will get his first coaching experience with the most storied franchise in the NBA. However, it is also an extremely challenging situation because the Los Angeles Lakers are setting him up to fail.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Lakers believe Redick can change the culture of the franchise for a long time and be their version of Erik Spoelstra.

"He’s drawn internal comparisons to a young Pat Riley as a coaching prospect who jumped from playing to the broadcast booth to the coaching chair. Los Angeles is confident he can be their version of Erik Spoelstra or Steve Kerr – a culture-setter who can grow with the franchise for over a decade."

- Shams Charania, The Athletic

Comparing a first-time head coach to the likes of Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, and Steve Kerr is absolutely ridiculous. Those three are among the best fifteen coaches in the history of the NBA. Their successes as young, first-time head coaches are rare and unparalleled. They all won multiple titles on their first teams and between the three of them, they have a total of 11 NBA championships.

Setting the bar at these legendary coaches is not fair to any head coach. No one, including JJ Redick, can live up to these lofty expectations. Now, the fanbase will have unreasonable expectations from Redick and he is more likely to disappoint.

Being the head coach of the Lakers is already a difficult job. No coach other than Phil Jackson has been able to stay for more than three seasons in Los Angeles in the last 25 years. This organization already lacks patience and leaking to the media that you expect Redick to perform at the level of all-time greats is a stupid way to put pressure on your new head coach.

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