The Los Angeles Lakers are headed into a new era with JJ Redick as the head coach.
The Los Angeles Lakers are headed into year seven with LeBron James — arguably the greatest player of all time — on their roster. On a yearly basis, the club enters the season with expectations. For a player like James, who went to ten straight NBA Finals with four championships under his belt, that makes sense.
James isn’t the only star player on the squad, either. The team traded for Anthony Davis eary in James’ Los Angeles tenure. The two captured an NBA Championship in 2020 — the year of the bubble — but they’ve since been on a rocky road.
The club’s recent hire of JJ Redick should be the move the team needs to get the most out of their current roster, which features two of the brightest names in the sport. On Thursday night, he got his first victory as the Lakers head coach, even if it didn’t count because it was a preseason game.
Los Angeles was adamant that the hire wasn’t a short-term fix. They’re the most recognizable brand in the sport of basketball, and they’re looking for a generational head coach to support that. Redick was a hire to untangle their current roster and improve the on-court product, but also to use his expertise to built a long-term, sustainable culture within the Lakers organization.
On Thursday, the Lakers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 107-102 as they captured their first victory of the season, despite LeBron’s misgiving about making the trip. Again, it didn’t count as it was a preseason exhibition contest, but it marks the beginning of a new era.
Following the win, the team gifted Redick the game ball. It’s his first as a head coach at the NBA level.
Rookie forward Dalton Knecht revealed that they’re looking forward to Finals wins from Redick, not just preseason wins.
“We got that game ball for him,” Knecht revealed. “The first one is cool, but he knows that he’s got a whole bunch of them and we’ll be there June 5th and we’ll get a cigar.”
Considering the Lakers have James and Davis on their roster, the past few seasons have been disappointing. They’ve marked 40-plus win seasons in three of the past four seasons, including a Western Conference Finals appearance in the 2022-23 season, but they haven’t made it past the first round in any of the other aforementioned seasons.
Reaching the 50-win mark is a tall task. They’d have to sustain health from their two superstars, as well as their supporting cast.
One thing fans can expect from Redick that wasn’t previously provided is much more talent management. The starting lineup will be consistent, so there will be no questions there lingering in the locker room. The team will play in a style that is backed up by analytics, too, as Redick has proven capable of understanding analytics.
While it might not directly correlate in the win or loss column, the overall result of the season will be improved compared to seasons in recent history.
Related Topics
