The Los Angeles Lakers briefly became something of a laughingstock when they hired JJ Redick to become their new head coach in 2024. Redick had never coached a high school, college, or NBA game, and was widely viewed as an individual who was brought in due to his connection to former podcast co-host LeBron James.
Fast forward to 2026 and Redick has vindicated the Lakers' for their massive gamble by revealing a skill that can't be undervalued: An ability to connect with his players and manage their egos.
No head coach will break through their personal ceilings without the ability to draw up plays, design balanced rotations, and make in-game adjustments. That much has been made clear throughout NBA history, with too many examples to count.
The difference between a good coach and a great coach, however, is often their ability to connect with their players and manage the egos in the building.
Ego is by no means a bad word in this conversation, as every athlete needs one to be able to compete at the highest level. The inherent nature of a competitive environment, however, is that a delicate balance is maintained when players are asked to sacrifice in ways they didn't necessarily have to with previous teams or at different competitive levels.
Thankfully, Redick has displayed the uncanny ability to connect with his players in a way that allows him to make even the most difficult of conversations palatable.
Lakers were ridiculed for hiring JJ Redick. Who's laughing now?
The Lakers have two No. 1 overall draft picks, a soon-to-be two-time scoring champion, an underpaid rising star who's mere months away from a potential max-level contract, and a former Defensive Player of the Year. They also have several former lottery picks who haven't quite lived up to star expectations, but continue to compete for significant minutes.
All of this adds up to an environment that could easily turn toxic if the head coach is unable to reel egos in and define roles that said players are willing to play.
That nearly took hold in 2025-26, with Deandre Ayton and LeBron James taking center stage in that regard. Ayton reportedly criticized the Lakers for utilizing him in a "Clint Capela" role when he felt he should be featured more on offense, while James was introduced to the foreign idea of playing as a third option on offense after spending 22 NBA seasons as a go-to player.
There have been turbulent times in Los Angeles, of course, but Redick's ability to navigate adversity and personally connect with his players while helping them embrace new roles is an absolutely vital skill.
JJ Redick has managed egos, created unexpected balance in Lakers rotation
Selling James, a four-time MVP and four-time NBA champion, on the idea of playing as a third option couldn't have been easy. James earned All-Star honors in 2025-26 and has spent 22 consecutive seasons playing with the ball in his hands on a consistent basis.
There's even a case to be made that, at this specific point in time, he's a better player than Austin Reaves, who has become the Lakers' No. 2.
The process of defining the proverbial hierarchy was made even more difficult to navigate when James missed the first 14 games of the 2025-26 campaign. It reached impossible levels of helmsmanship when Reaves went down for 22 of a possible 24 games less than a month after James made his season debut.
James shined in Reaves' absence, secured an NBA record 22nd career All-Star nod, and further solidified himself as one of the best players on the planet.
The elephant in the room, however, is that James is 41 years of age and headed toward an offseason that could lead to retirement or signing with a new team. Reaves, meanwhile, is 27, playing like a star, and widely expected to re-sign with the Lakers this summer.
After weeks of struggling to create cohesion on offense and inevitably experiencing the same misery on defense, James publicly stated that he's sacrificing for the team and accepting his new role.
JJ Redick has gotten LeBron James, Deandre Ayton to buy in to massive changes
Convincing a player who's still capable of taking over games to sacrifice touches is difficult enough. The greatest challenge Redick faced, however, was connecting with his embattled starting center at a time when many were claiming this would be his last stop.
Fresh off of being bought out of his previous contract and then signing with the Lakers for less than $10 million per season, former No. 1 overall draft pick Deandre Ayton never seemed to embrace what Redick needed him to be.
That took a turn for the worst when Ayton reportedly criticized Redick for utilizing him in an ill-fitting role that limited his offensive touches. Tension persisted for weeks in the Lakersphere, until suddenly, the tide turned.
Ayton delivered a candid interview in which he took accountability for not buying in and delivered harrowingly introspective words to himself: "You're not that guy."
In his first game since, Ayton proved he's ready to stop fixating on his offensive role and go all-out on defense. He produced three blocks, was energetic and intense on defense, and ultimately helped anchor a second straight win over the 41-27 Houston Rockets.
Only time will tell if the moving pieces can remain in the places Los Angeles needs them to, but as the Lakers strengthen their hold on the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, Redick's ability to manage a locker room has proven to be an invaluable skill.