Will JJ Redick be the new head coach of the Lakers? There's an opening thanks to the firing of Darvin Ham on Friday afternoon.
Redick is already being connected to the job — The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that he is considered the "frontrunner" for the gig. He has also been interested in head coaching jobs before.
The Lakers one would be attractive. Redick would have a roster good enough to challenge for a championship at a prestige franchise, and he could preside over the end of LeBron James' career.
Those two have discussed the game numerous times as part of their joint "Mind the Game" podcast venture. Could Redick become the first podcast host to coach his partner?
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Why the Lakers should hire JJ Redick
Being a head coach for James is not easy. Whoever is hired will be his fourth coach in Los Angeles alone and 10th for his career.
Frank Vogel won a championship and lasted three years. Ham went to the Western Conference Finals and lasted two. Even all-time great Erik Spoelstra didn't escape unscathed. There was a point where LeBron wanted him fired. This job is not for the faint of heart.
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The most important qualifier to coach a team led by LeBron James is to earn his trust. Once that's gone, then the coach becomes a dead man walking.
Redick already has that bullet point down. The two clearly have mutual respect, and James enjoys Redick. They know how to work together.
Redick isn't just some LeBron yes man, though. He has a legitimate resume to become a head coach, starting with his 15 years of NBA experience. He's learned from some of the best coaches around, including Coach K at Duke, Stan Van Gundy, Scott Skiles, Doc Rivers and Rick Carlisle.
Redick also knows the X's and O's extremely well, as demonstrated both through his podcasting and broadcasting skills. That has made him garner interest for other jobs, including the current opening with the Hornets and the Raptors job last year.
Some might hold Redick's age against him. He's just 39 years old and a few seasons removed from playing. But the younger coaches in the league have been among the best.
Mark Daigneault is coming off a Coach of the Year award at the same age and Joe Mazzulla led the Celtics to the best record in the league this season at age 35.
The league is increasingly becoming player-driven and having a coach who can relate to the personnel on the roster is a huge advantage. Just look at the flame out of John Beilein, a legendary college coach who did not understand the NBA lifestyle, as an example.
Redick understands the rigors of the NBA better than anyone. He's clearly a good communicator, and he knows strategy inside and out. Those are the most important elements of the job. He would need to have some experienced assistant coaches to help guide him, but he could be the lead guy to bring everyone together.
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Why the Lakers should not hire JJ Redick
Redick's inexperience is obviously the biggest factor going against him. This is the most scrutinized job in the entire league. There will be a learning curve, and the Lakers don't have time for him to grow into the role.
The track record for former players transitioning straight into the head coach role is not great.
Chauncey Billups had a year as an assistant under his belt before being hired to coach the Blazers in 2022. They've gone 81-165 since giving him the job. Earl Watson was in a similar situation with the Suns in 2016 — he lasted 118 games and left on poor terms with a 33-85 record.
Steve Nash, hired by the Nets in 2021, is the most high-profile example and has a lot of parallels to the Redick situation. He was dropped into an extremely high-pressure job with a lot of egos to manage. Nash couldn't get the job done (and maybe no one could), getting fired only 161 games into the job.
There are some success stories. The most notable one is Steve Kerr, who went from the broadcast booth straight into four championships with the Warriors.
Kerr had the advantage of a veteran roster and, of course, generational players on it. Redick would have the same, which could help him avoid the fate of coaches like Billups, Nash, Watson, Isaiah Thomas and Jason Kidd back when he was first hired by the Nets.
But do the Lakers want to take that chance? There will be coaches lined up for this job. Mike Budenholzer is a proven winner and a much more known commodity, for example. As public-facing as Redick is, there is always an unknown with new head coaches. They learned that the hard way with Ham — would they risk repeating that mistake?
