The Los Angeles Lakers ushered in the next era of the franchise when they formally introduced JJ Redick as their next head coach.
Redick had been the Lakers initial target and they finally hired him after weeks of reporting and rumors. Even though Los Angeles made a run at Dan Hurley, they ultimately ended up with the candidate that seemed like the favorite all along.
During Redick’s press conference, he addressed several topics, most notably his lack of NBA coaching experience, but he was also asked about the current state of the roster. Redick talked about player development being an important focus for him, but also revealed he thinks the team as constructed isn’t far off from competing for a title.
“To answer the second part first, yes, I think they’re reasonable,” Redick said of expectations surrounding the Lakers. “I don’t look at the current roster as being that far off from a championship-caliber team. In terms of managing expectations, I think in life, you just got to embrace things. You know, you just really have to embrace things. You don’t run from it. If you need to talk about it, you talk about it. There’s not a player, I’ve never played with players in the NBA who were like, ‘You know what? This year’s not the year. I don’t think we can win a championship.’ Now, the expectations here are certainly different. And as we sort of build out the culture, one of the things, and Rob and I have talked about this, you have to let go of outcomes. You just do. It has to be about the enjoyment and embracing the process.
“And if the Los Angeles Lakers on day one get better every single day, I’m very confident that come April, we will be a championship-caliber team. You still have to have a lot of stuff go right, you can’t have a lot go wrong. That’s every single championship team. Just acknowledge that. Right? But I think it is more about loving the process of getting better. The power of the group. If you look at the NBA now and Rob is talking about the second apron, if you look at the NBA right now, the group matters more than ever. You certainly need the stars. But the group matters more than ever. You need six, seven, eight guys who can play minutes deep into the playoffs. The Boston Celtics, the Dallas Mavericks, the Pacers, the Timberwolves. It wasn’t about the individual. It was about the group.”
Los Angeles finished as the seventh seed in the Western Conference and drew the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs where they lost in five games. Although the result was disappointing, the Lakers were competitive in each game which lends some credence to Redick’s confidence in the roster.
With the new CBA imposing punitive rules involving trades and the salary cap, being able to maximize the talent on a team is a head coach’s biggest challenge and by the sound of it Redick already knows that’s where his focus needs to be. However, general manager Rob Pelinka also noted that he and the team will continue to seek out trades in efforts to improve the talent base.
Current rostered players like Austin Reaves already hold Redick in high regard as he called him a basketball genius and it’ll be interesting to see if he can get that same level of respect and buy in from the rest of the team.
Jazz’s Collin Sexton potential Lakers trade target
As is the case every offseason, Los Angeles has been linked to several names who could be moved. One player that is seemingly on the Lakers’ radar is Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton, who had a strong season this past year.
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