When the Los Angeles Lakers signed JJ Redick as their new head coach, many decried the signing, pointing to his lack of NBA coaching experience as an indicator of his coming ineptitude. Although head coaching experience is usually a pretty good criterion for a new head coaching hire, the Lakers’ front office was hiring amidst a fiasco of their own creation. The Lakers’ head coaching job has become a bucking bronco that seemingly throws its riders into the mud. However, I think Redick is capable of taming this incompetent beast.
Since former head coach Phil Jackson left the Lakers after being swept by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 conference semifinals, no Lakers head coach has maintained their job for more than three years. The reason the Lakers’ head coaches never seem to last is twofold. First, there is an expectation that the Lakers will always win, placed on the team by fans and media alike. This, combined with the reality that Los Angeles is a desirable destination, means the Lakers are a top suitor for any star in free agency. The scrutiny of manning one of the most prestigious and unique franchises in the NBA means that coaches who struggle with defending themselves in front of the media will not last long.
The Lakers’ front office has long suffered from an absence of legitimate basketball expertise, which causes head coaches to be scapegoated for their shortcomings. The front office broke up the 2020 championship team by trading what remained of their young core for an aging Russell Westbrook in 2021 and firing Frank Vogel, the head coach of that championship team, in 2022. Vogel’s squad was injury-riddled and the loss was by no means a result of his malpractice. His replacement fared worse. Former head coach Darvin Ham was fired after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets in back to back years. While his ineptitude deserved firing, the level of scrutiny received by Lakers’ head coaches from media, fans and front office alike exacerbates any coaching deficiencies, shrinking the margin for error for any Lakers’ head coach.
Decisions in the front office have recently been made with little regard for logic and continuity. Although Rob Pelinka is a mediocre general manager, he was Kobe Bryant’s agent. This demonstrates the void of basketball expertise left by Bryant’s tragic passing and Lakers’ owner Jeanie Buss’s continued reliance on the legacy of past greatness. Buss and Pelinka have made major mistakes which may have perpetually stunted the Lakers’ championship aspirations even despite the team’s superstars still playing at a high level.
The Lakers needed a stabilizer, someone who could hold the head coaching job for years to come and present as the public face of the Lakers’ front office. They needed somebody with elite communication abilities to protect the valuable Lakers brand from media and fans alike. But most importantly, the ownership needed somebody with a reputation for clarity and honesty which would allow them to restore the public’s trust in their own management. JJ Redick is perfectly suited to the Lakers head coaching job, and as a result he will save Buss and Pelinka’s reputations.
He’s also a pretty good coach.
