When the Los Angeles Lakers hired JJ Redick to become the team's new head coach, inexperience was the inevitable talking point among skeptics. It was understandable, as Redick has never coached above the amateur level and will now step into the leading role for one of the NBA's marquee franchises.
While that inexperience will pose challenges in the long-term, a different type of NBA experience is helping Redick achieve one of the most important goals of any head coach.
Redick enters the coaching realm after spending 15 seasons as an NBA player and almost a decade as an analyst, including three seasons exclusively in that realm. It's yet to be seen how well that's prepared him for coaching, but the early returns are promising.
In an interview with Mike Trudell of NBA.com, Lakers forward Rui Hachimura provided insight into how Redick's playing experience has enabled him to connect with the players as a head coach.
“I think the good thing about it is he was just in the league so he knows exactly what is happening in this league right now. So he can teach and coach us from the player standpoint. It’s easier for us to understand. It just makes sense. Whatever he says just makes sense; it’s good.”
Hachimura continued:
“He was just a player so he knows exactly how we do in NBA practices. I haven’t really practiced like that since I got in the league … we’ve been competing. We like the flow and we get in up and down (the court).”
Experience wasn't expected to be a strength, and hurdles certainly remain for Redick heading into the 2024-25 season, but the fact that he only recently retired is proving valuable.
JJ Redick's playing experience is helping him transition to coaching
It's long been established that role players transition to coaching with more ease than superstars. The theories as to why that is are endless, but there's something to be said about a player who spent 15 years figuring out how to successfully complement a superstar and execute within a system later attempting to teach others how to do the same.
There's even more to be said about how a player whose style of play in college helped usher in the modern era of the NBA receiving a chance to show the current generation what they've long known.
Before he made it to the NBA, Redick was the face of college basketball as the polarizing go-to player for the Duke Blue Devils. He shot the lights out from every corner of the floor, earning National College Player of the Year honors and revolutionizing the use of the three-point shot.
Stephen Curry changed the game with how he incorporated off-the-bounce shooting into his arsenal, but there's a reason Redick had the best season of his NBA career during the Curry revolution.
It was in 2018-19, when Redick was 34 years of age, that he averaged a career-best 18.1 points per game on a 51-win Philadelphia 76ers team. That may be the best illustration of how well he understands the modern era, as he reached a higher gear at an age that most are preparing to retire.
Redick has since spent his time educating fans on the more intricate details of the game, and will look to combine those two experiences to create a successful coaching career.
In-game adjustments and substitution patterns will be an entirely different discussion, but Redick setting a strong tone in practice and adapting to the modern style of play is an encouraging start. It's also worth noting that he added experienced coaches such as Scott Brooks and Nate McMillan to his staff for those very reasons.
It's too soon to label Redick's tenure a success story, but he's off to a promising start as he connects with his players in a unique way given his recent playing experience.