After months of reporting and rumors, the Los Angeles Lakers finally landed on a head coach with expected hiring of JJ Redick.
Redick has been considered the frontrunner for most of the hiring process, with his candidacy only coming into question when the Lakers chased after UConn’s Dan Hurley. However, once Hurley decided to return to the Huskies, Los Angeles circled back to Redick and made the decision most were expecting.
Despite the quick detour for Hurley, the Lakers are now banking on Redick to succeed as a first-time head coach with enormous pressure to lead them back to a title. Los Angeles reportedly agreed to four-year contract worth about $8 million annually, which is a substantive commitment.
The hope is that Redick can follow the same trajectory as former Lakers head coach Pat Riley, though that’s a tough ask for any person regardless of how much experience they have.
Will JJ Redick coach Lakers Summer League?
JJ Redick’s hiring comes with about less than a week until the 2024 NBA Draft, but he will have a little more time to prepare for the annual California Classic and NBA Summer League. As of this moment, it’s unclear whether or not Redick himself or someone from his coaching staff will lead the roster but it’ll still give the organization and its fanbase an opportunity to see how he wants to play on both ends of the floor.
Given that Redick’s never coached at the NBA level before, it would make a lot of sense to coach in Summer League to get reps and get familiar with some of the young talent in the organization. It would also give him a chance to implement his system and philosophy and see what might stick on the parent roster once the 2024-25 season rolls around.
NBA head coaches don’t typically coach in Summer League, but there have been some exceptions, especially for coaches in their first season at the held.
Lakers Summer League schedule
The California Classic is slated to take place in Northern California at Golden 1 Center and Chase Center, the first time the event will have two locations. The Lakers will play three games, all at Chase Center, on July 6 against the Sacramento Kings, July 7 against the Golden State Warriors and July 10 against the Miami Heat.
The team won’t have much rest as they’ll then head to Las Vegas for NBA Summer League, which will take place from July 12-22. The game schedule has yet to be released, though every team will play at least one game during opening weekend.
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