JJ Redick is continuing to adapt to his new role in the NBA.
Once a premier sharpshooter and role player in the NBA, JJ Redick is using his wealth of knowledge of the sport of basketball to face a daunting task — being the head coach of the LA Lakers. The club is notorious for being a tough job for a head coach. Between the market and historical nature of the club, it’s a hard place to succeed.
Redick has been dealt a difficult hand with the roster he has. The Lakers have tried new ways to build a contending roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. In doing so, they’ve put a handful of names around the duo that don’t quite fit as role players.
However, Redick recently made a lineup change that could prove beneficial for the club, and even change the course of their season.
The Lakers have won 17 championships, just one shy of their rivals, the Boston Celtics, who lead the league with 18 championships in their history. Given they are in the Los Angeles market and are one of the most successful clubs in the NBA, the Lakers are in constant pursuit of a title.
With James and Davis at the helm, there is high potential for the Lakers. Putting the right players alongside them is as much on the management as it is on Redick to manage the rotations. By working with what he has, Redick has made a crucial change that has given the Lakers much-needed life on the season.
TheLakersReview shared a statistic online, revealing that the bench boss’ decision to slot Max Christie into the starting lineup has proven to be beneficial with early positive results.
“the Lakers are 5-2 since Max Christie became a starter. three of those wins on the road,” TheLakersReview shared. “he’s shooting .423 percent from three during this stretch and providing good to great defense.”
A defender who is shooting the ball confidently and efficiently is the prime archetype of a player who should be playing alongside James and Davis. By providing that, the Lakers are finding success with Christie in the lineup.
The Lakers are going to be active at the trade deadline. They’ve got three first-round picks to trade. They need improvements if they are going to be taken seriously as a contender, and there’s not much time left to be conservative or play a patient game.
If the Lakers can find a rhythm with Christie in the lineup, there is some insurance as to whether a trade doesn’t pan out or have the impact expected. If they can find a winning formula with him in the starting lineup, they’ll have something to build off moving forward.
Los Angeles, again, will and should pursue a championship until James is no longer on the roster, whenever that should be. Until then, expect them to be aggressive on the trade market, and even try stuff like give Christie a shot at a starting role.
At 5-2 in the last seven games, the Lakers have a sample size that is small enough to keep the experiment going. More games are going to be needed to be played before Redick can determine if it’s a full-time lineup or not, but the early results show that the move can change the trajectory of the season.
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