JJ Redick just became the first Los Angeles Lakers head coach since Phil Jackson to secure back-to-back 50-win seasons for the franchise after the 127-113 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. The Lakers were brave enough to give an inexperienced face a chance to be their bench boss, something another organization passed up on. They have been highly rewarded for doing so.
A lot of people think Redick would not be in Los Angeles without LeBron James. The less talked about part of how the second-year coach ended up with the Lakers has the Toronto Raptors at the forefront.
The purple and gold were not the first team to look at Redick and think he could be a head coach in the NBA. That distinction belongs to the Raptors. They, ultimately, ended up going in a different direction, choosing former Memphis Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic as their guy in 2023 instead.
The Lakers proved daring enough to do what the Raptors wouldn’t. The podcaster and nepotism criticism did not bother the franchise enough to dissuade them from a clearly brilliant basketball mind. Many will still try to take away from what Redick has done in Los Angeles, but it is crystal clear the Lakers won this gamble.
Lakers making the JJ Redick hire the Raptors wouldn't set them up perfectly
“When I interviewed for the Toronto Raptors job in 2023, I left Toronto and said, ‘I want to be an NBA head coach," Redick told Benjamin Royer of the O.C. Register. “It was an obsession of mine for a full year and a half before I ever got the [Lakers] job.”
Redick hit 100 wins as the Lakers coach after his team beat the Cavaliers. Daniel Starkand pointed out this made JJ only the 16th coach in NBA history to win 50-plus games in each of his first two seasons.
The Redick ride has not always been perfect in Los Angeles. Last year's NBA Playoffs showcased some struggles for the then rookie coach. However, on the whole, there have been a lot of positives to take away.
Redick has done a strong job maximizing what has been in front of him. The teams and circumstances have not always been perfect, but the Lakers coah has proven himself resilient.
There has also been a clear ability to manage big egos. Redick got LeBron to accept an approach of less being more. Deandre Ayton seemingly turned the corner in accepting his role too. The Lakers coach even challenged the team to get in championship shape after last year. Many thought that might have been directed at Luka Doncic. If it was, the message landed in the most perfect way.
Redick proves his capabilities time and time again. The gift that keeps on giving would never have been possible if the Raptors were just a little more daring back in 2023. In 2026, the Lakers are surely thanking them.