I’m Dan Woike, beat writer for the L.A. Times, and welcome to an on-the-road edition of the Lakers newsletter, which is being written live from the seats at Wintrust Arena during Wednesday’s on-court scrimmages.
Today is about scouting – informed projection based on experience – but maybe not in a way you’d expect.
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What kind of coach will JJ Redick become?
The former NBA shooter and current podcaster-broadcaster JJ Redick is the name that’s been linked most to the Lakers here in Chicago during the combine. And when it’s said, it’s usually followed with some sort of reference to his lack of coaching experience.
He doesn’t have a little. He doesn’t have a lot. He has none.
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One former general manager who was a part of a front office who hired a coach without previous coaching experience said he “absolutely” felt that was a factor in the team’s failings, even as they surrounded that coach with experience on the bench.
It’s one of the things you can’t hide, no matter how it gets dressed up: Redick’s first time on the sideline will happen in the NBA. And if it’s with the Lakers, it’ll probably happen with incredibly high stakes and incredibly limited patience.
But, having covered Redick over the course of his four seasons in Los Angeles with the Clippers, I’ve seen some of his defining characteristics first hand.
He’s smart
There’s little question about Redick’s basketball I.Q. As a player, he worked himself into an NBA role as his own offense, running to open spots on the floor hunting shots while creating space for his teammates to attack the basket.
He was incredibly analytical at a time when most of his teammates had open disdain for that information.
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And he was forward thinking. He entered the podcast space way before seemingly every other player found their internet home there, even building a modest recording space in his home office.
Since his career ended, he’s quickly ascended media ranks despite raging against the lack of nuance some of his platforms thrive on. And his latest venture, a strategy-based podcast with LeBron James, points to his interest in basketball geekery as much as it does anything else.
He’s a worker
This one is key. He’s a maniac.
Redick was very routine drive and was always interested in finding ways to maximize his efficiency in workouts. He talked a lot about reducing shooting reps in practice in favor of more full-speed work because he wanted to simulate game situations as best as possible.
If there was a technique or a drill that could give him even a slight edge, he’d look into it.
He didn’t get into the weeds on this stuff; he stayed in them.
He’s competitive
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One Redick skeptic in Chicago — and to be clear, there are plenty — wondered about his gravitas when it would come to holding James accountable.
“Would he scream at LeBron to get back when he was complaining about a foul?” the executive wondered.
Redick’s seriousness and competitiveness would probably make it impossible for him to not light into a player like that.
If there’s once concern, outside of the experience, that’s seemed most credible from people here in Chicago, it’s related to this.
Some have wondered if someone as serious and committed and meticulous to maximizing his time in the NBA will be totally able to handle, quite frankly, players that are generally more laid-back in their approach.
At this stage, it’s all hypothetical.
It really is for any candidate minus ones that a front office is sure would succeed in any situation. For James Borrego, for Sam Cassell, for Kenny Atkinson or David Adelman, there’s going to be a lot of projection and hypothesizing.
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Their experience probably makes it easier to predict, but to be clear, you’re still predicting.
Hiring a coach is the hardest thing an executive does, according to an informal poll of some general managers here in Chicago.
And hiring a coach for this team, they agreed, might be harder than any other.
Song of the Week
As my travels wind down for this season, here’s another terrific plane song – moody, quiet, and perfect for pulling the hoodie down over your eyes before you conk out.
In case you missed it
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Shaquille O’Neal-Shannon Sharpe beef reaches diss track level. Here’s how we got here
Ex-Laker Darius Morris dies three months after father, brother convicted of bank fraud
Until next time...
As always, pass along your thoughts to me at daniel.woike@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!
