The biggest move the Los Angeles Lakers made this summer was to hire JJ Redick, despite him having no coaching experience before getting the job.
Jeanie Buss needed some convincing before hiring the former NBA journeyman, and according to the Los Angeles Lakers president, JJ Redick’s “different” approach ultimately won her over.
“I’m not comfortable talking about the basketball stuff, but we were looking for a candidate that would bring something different and really invest in developing young players. JJ is the right person for us. Again, I just want to work to really speak for itself, so I don’t want to hype it and say it’s gonna be a home run. We have to give him time to establish what he wants to establish,” Buss said on the Petros and Money radio show.
“I’m really impressed with his staff. There’s a lot of experience that will be there for him to make that adjustment to being a head coach. Certainly a 12-year career in the league, he’s got a lot of experience. He knows what this league is about and I think he’ll be a great leader.” she added.
Buss added that hiring Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks would help Redick, given their prior experience before joining the Los Angeles Lakers. McMillan last coached the Atlanta Hawks from 2021 to 2023, while Brooks was an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers in the last three seasons.
JJ Redick will look to improve these facets for the Los Angeles Lakers
Under Darvin Ham last season, the Los Angeles Lakers were 29th in offensive rebounding rate (24.4), 28th in three-point attempts per game (31.4), and 15th in offensive rating (115.4) while ranking fourth in post-up possessions (7.3).
During his introductory press conference, JJ Redick promised to adopt a data-driven approach to help the Los Angeles Lakers win more games while having a collaborative working atmosphere.
“Every day that somebody walks in this building, they have to enjoy it. I think part of being a coach, right, is, like, ‘Can I maximize each player?’ That helps maximize the group. And does everybody in the building, not just the players and staff, does everybody in the building enjoy coming to work every day? That’s sort of on me to create that culture,” Redick shared.
