The media erupted on Thursday when news broke that the Los Angeles Lakers were hiring retired sharpshooter JJ Redick as their next coach, but one ESPN analyst is underwhelmed by the move.
Brian Windhorst understands that the hiring was necessary but believes that upgrading the roster is much more important. The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired lockdown guard Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls at a low cost just a few hours after the Redick hiring, which he claims would have been more substantial for the Lakers' organization.
"With all due respect to JJ, the thing that the Lakers need more than a head coach is players like Alex Caruso," Windhorst said on First Take. "If they had not hired a head coach yesterday and announced that they had acquired Alex Caruso, that would've been a bigger day for the Lakers. Here's the reality: the banner from 2020 cannot be taken down, but the Lakers have not been able to maintain a high-quality roster."
"If they had not hired a head coach yesterday and announced that they had acquired Alex Caruso, that would've been a bigger day for the Lakers."
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 21, 2024
—@WindhorstESPN on the state of the Lakers' roster 😯 pic.twitter.com/mZURbzEUrE
The Lakers fell short to the Denver Nuggets in Round 1 of the postseason in a gentleman's sweep, but the matchup was closer than at first glance. Although Windhorst and LA's front office do not agree on their priorities, all attention must now turn to boosting the lineup with the NBA Draft less than a week away.
