JJ Redick was reportedly “impressive” during meetings with the Lakers, showing off his basketball knowledge and how he sees Anthony Davis and LeBron James working together.
Now that JJ Redick has reportedly agreed on a four-year deal to be the Lakers’ next head coach, the franchise can exhale momentarily. This process felt more like a marathon than a sprint, but the Lakers, it seems, did their due diligence.
With so much uncertainty about Redick’s actual coaching acumen, the Lakers took their time and had discussions with him about his approach. Naturally, this was a big discussion point during his in-person interview with the Lakers.
On Thursday, Shams Charania, Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic detailed the discussions Redick had with the Lakers and offered some insight on his philosophy with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers next season.
The best way to use LeBron and AD has been long debated, but the idea of James being less on the ball and finding ways to get Davis more involved has been a constant topic of conversation.
Davis had arguably his best year as a Laker in the 2023-24 season, averaging 24.7 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. However, he would have long stretches without getting a shot up and games where his offense disappeared completely.
The playoffs series against the Nuggets was a prime example, including Game 5 where he took 11 shots overall and only one in the fourth quarter.
With your season hanging in the balance and your best player playing in every minute of the final quarter, you’d think he could get more looks at the basket.
Getting James off the ball is all about lightening the 39-year-old’s workload. He needs to do less and less as he ages, yet somehow, his responsibility has stayed the same throughout his years as a Laker.
If Redick can get James to buy in and play off the ball, run more through AD during the clutch time and win games in the process, that would be a tremendous success for the first-time coach.
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