The Los Angeles Lakers came into the season with few expectations, at least compared to their current expectations.
Nonetheless, the Lakers were viewed as a playoff team by most but had some major flaws due to being led by first-time head coach JJ Redick.
Redick was the favorite from the minute the Lakers fired Darivn Ham after their early playoff exit to the Denver Nuggets. Although there was a minute when people thought Dan Hurley would be the coach, it was Redick who was the favorite, and that ended up being the case.
While Redick is young and has a ton of potential, many didn’t think it was the smart move for L.A. as they needed a more experienced head coach, considering they have LeBron James, the ultimate win-now player, and Anthony Davis (at the time).
While the start of the season was rough for L.A., things have turned the tide in the past month and a half, and Redick is a big reason why.
It’s very easy to praise him now, as the Lakers have a great chance to go as high as the two-seed in the West; it was normal to question whether or not he was the first guy for the job.
Not only were fans and media pundits thinking that, but so was Lakers governor Jeanie Buss.
Buss admitted that she had reservations about him at the start.
“I was worried about hiring a rookie coach,” Buss said. “This team is so important to this community, and to bring in a rookie coach that had no experience before, that was a big leap. But I knew that [Redick and Pelinka] would work well together, and I love watching the progress that they’re making.”
Lakers general manager and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka was confident that Redick was their guy, but Buss still had some doubts about his ability to do it.
It was fair.
Redick was only three years removed from being a player and had no experience in coaching. Everyone knew he had a brilliant mind, but whether that could translate to coaching was a different story.
However, as of late, he has appeared to debunk that and has shown he can coach with the best of them.
Redick has led this team to a top-five seed in the West and, if all goes well, a potential deep run in the playoffs. Only time will tell where this team can go, but so far, it appears that Redick will be their guide for years to come.
