The Lakers have hired JJ Redick as their next head coach, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Redick will take his first professional coaching job in the bright spotlight of Los Angeles, looking to maximize the franchise's championship window with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Despite having no previous NBA coaching experience, Redick has become one of the most respected minds in basketball. After his 15-year playing career, Redick became an NBA analyst for ESPN and flexed his knowledge of the game through his "The Old Man and the Three" and "Mind the Game" podcasts, the latter co-hosted by his star player James.
Is Redick the right person for the Lakers head coaching job? The Sporting News grades the hire below.
LAKERS HIRE JJ REDICK
- Contract details
- Inside Redick's 'Pat Riley-like' potential
- How Redick will change Lakers
- Redick joins Coach K's growing coaching tree
Grading Lakers hiring JJ Redick as head coach
Redick was rumored to be the Lakers' primary head coaching target from the get-go and they got their guy.
Los Angeles reportedly believes Redick has "Pat Riley-like" potential, expecting the 39-year-old to lead the franchise for the foreseeable future, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania and Jovan Buha.
With the present and future in mind, hiring Redick makes a lot of sense for the Lakers.
Let's start with the former. The biggest decision of Los Angeles' offseason belongs to franchise cornerstone James, who faces a $51.4 million player option with the potential to become an unrestricted free agent. Even if all signs point to James staying with the Lakers, hiring his friend and podcast co-host will likely help put pen to paper on a new deal faster.
James has clearly developed a personal relationship and high respect for Redick as a basketball mind. It's safe to assume Los Angeles would not have moved forward on Redick as a candidate if he wasn't approved by James in some fashion.
Concerns about a first-year head coach with no previous NBA coaching experience are valid. Leading a team, managing personalities, navigating a rotation and creating gameplans are much different than talking about those things on television or a podcast.
That will be one of Redick's toughest tests, but Los Angeles will have to hope his experience as a player makes that a seamless transition.
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As for the future, Redick has a thorough understanding of today's NBA and the direction the league is headed. Listen to one of his shows or his live analysis, and it is evident that he is as plugged in as anyone on the offensive and defensive strategies utilized and the strengths and weaknesses of the personnel around the league.
His adaptive mind can help push the Lakers organization forward beyond the days of the James-Davis superstar duo in the same way we're seeing from respected young coaches around the NBA like the Celtics' Joe Mazzulla and the Thunder's Mark Daigneault.
Redick's most significant challenge will be managing the insurmountable pressure that comes with being the Lakers and LeBron's head coach. There is no bigger spotlight in the league, and given James' ticking retirement timeline, the expectations will be title-or-bust.
Steve Nash — a two-time MVP and all-time great floor general — had a similar experience and learned the hard way as a first-time head coach for three future Hall of Famers in Brooklyn. Anything short of a championship or NBA Finals appearance could be enough to lose your job.
That said, the Lakers must feel Redick is ready for this step and this is the type of home-run swing hire that could change a franchise.
Los Angeles believes it has landed the candidate that can stop its coaching carousel, going through seven different leaders in the last 13 years since Phil Jackson retired in 2011.
Grade: A
