Is JJ Redick the right man to lead LeBron James and the Lakers?

The Lakers missed out on Dan Hurley and will now hire ESPN analyst JJ Redick as the franchise’s next head coach.

The Los Angeles Lakers hired 15-year NBA veteran and current ESPN analyst JJ Redick as the franchise’s next head coach, according to multiple reports. Redick has been connected to the LA job for months, despite no previous coaching experience, and when the team’s pursuit of UConn coach Dan Hurley fell through Redick was targeted by GM Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss.

Locked On Lakers hosts Andy and Brian Kamenetzky broke down the announcement, chuckling at how ‘typical Lakers’ this whole process was.

“This is just how they hire the majority of their coaches,” Andy said. “It never seems particularly easy or smooth, or [done] in a way that reassures the fanbase.”

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Redick was chosen for his high basketball IQ and ability to connect with the players, many whom he competed against in a lengthy career that ended in 2021. Pelinka believes putting an elite coaching staff around the soon-to-be 40-year-old will help him adjust to the position smoothly, and Redick’s relationship with superstar LeBron James – whom he hosts a podcast with – certainly factored into the decision.

However, the team’s wild and failed pursuit of Hurley made Redick look like a backup option – even though he was connected to the job prior to Hurley’s name being tossed into the ring. The Hurley pursuit not only cast doubt on the team’s desire to bring Redick into the mix – it cost the Lakers valuable time they could have been getting Redick ready for the job and hiring assistant coaches.

“This needed to get done,” Brian stated. “It probably needed to get done faster than it did, but it needed to get done.”

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