The 2023–24 Western Conference was a total grind. Even with 47 wins, the Los Angeles Lakers barely made the eighth seed. After making it past the Play-In Tournament, they faced off against the second-seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs and lost the series 4-1.
The front office wasn’t about to sit still after the exit. Darvin Ham, after just two seasons, got the boot, and the Lakers made a surprising move by bringing in rookie head coach JJ Redick as the 29th tactician in team history.
Former Lakers player and coach Bryon Scott thinks that JJ has what it takes to get the job done. Knowing a thing or two about the pressures of that role, he is optimistic about how the new coach has gone about with his backroom staff.
“I love what JJ did as far as the staff he brought in,” Scott said. “That made me feel a lot better. You had some guys who had head coaching experience who won championships on that bench, so I thought the fact he brought in some guys with some great experience made me feel a lot better, so I’m excited. I think JJ’s going to do well with the staff that he has and the players that he has.”
After being skeptical, Scott’s perspective did a full 180 once he got wind of the coaching squad Redick put together. He’s brought on some serious veterans to back him up, including Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks. McMillan led the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks to moderate postseason success, while Brooks took the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA Finals.
However, his zero coaching experience naturally raised some eyebrows. Even Scott, a Lakers legend, initially thought the front office had lost it by taking such a big gamble.
At first, the former Laker wasn’t shy about throwing shade at the decision, as some in the NBA media have, pointing out that the rookie coach had never coached at any level, let alone at the helm of one of the most storied franchises in NBA history. But, as time passed, Scott started to come around, admitting that the new coach might just have what it takes to succeed in L.A.
“My opinion wasn’t different than a whole lot of people when you talk about JJ,” Scott added. “I got a lot of respect for him because of what he’s been able to do in the league. But when you talk about coaches, everybody wanted to get an experienced coach; he has no experience.”
With support from the bench and the all-star talent he’ll be working with in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, it might work out for Redick. He also won’t be the first coach with zero experience. Steve Kerr came to Golden State 10 years ago and succeeded in building one of the greatest NBA franchises, but only time will tell if JJ can do the same
