JJ Redick acknowledged something he hadn’t planned to divulge.
asserted
he → acknowledge → something
When asked how different it feels being in his third year as an NBA coach than his first, he opened up.
asserted
he → ask → first
“I probably shouldn’t admit this,” Redick said at Lakers practice Wednesday, “but early in my coaching career I felt like I was cosplaying a little bit, you know?
asserted
you → admit → career
It’s like I was pretending to be a coach.”
asserted
I → ’ → ?
Redick was stunningly hired to take over the Lakers’ helm in June 2024 after Darvin Ham was fired.
asserted
Ham → hire → June
Why was it so eyebrow-raising?
asserted
it → raise → ?
He had no coaching experience.
asserted
He → have → experience
He was taking over a 17-time championship franchise.
asserted
He → take → franchise
Redick has always come across as ultra-confident.
asserted
Redick → come → ?
He had to be.
asserted
He → have → ?
But on Wednesday, he let us peek behind his tough veneer.
asserted
us → let → veneer
Even the coach of the Lakers can have imposter syndrome.
asserted
coach → have → syndrome
Good thing for the Lakers, their gamble has panned out.
asserted
gamble → pan → Lakers
Last season, Redick became the first coach since Phil Jackson to have back-to-back 50-win seasons.
asserted
Redick → become → seasons
Redick has drawn comparisons to Pat Riley, who had very little coaching experience (two years as a Laker assistant from 1979-81) before taking over the helm in 1981.
asserted
who → draw → 1981
Riley went on to win four championships in LA.
asserted
Riley → go → LA
Last season, he was honored with a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena.
asserted
he → honor → Arena
As for Redick, he still has a long way to go.
asserted
he → have → way
The Lakers haven’t gotten past the second round of the playoffs since he took over, though Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler desperately want to help him change that.
asserted
Dončić → get → that
“I think he’s got a little more gray hair.
asserted
he → think → hair
but he’s been great,” Reaves said when asked about Redick’s growth over the last three seasons.
asserted
Reaves → say → seasons
“Care factor’s high, intelligence is high.
asserted
intelligence → ’ → ?
He cares more than anybody else and wants to win just like we do.
asserted
we → care → anybody
So, you know, having that as a coach, you respect that.”
asserted
you → know → that
This much is for sure: Redick has gained the respect of everyone in the locker room over the last two seasons.
asserted
Redick → gain → seasons
No one is second-guessing the Lakers’ decision to hire him anymore.
asserted
one → guess → him
And Redick no longer feels as though he’s faking it.
asserted
he → feel → it
“I just think you get more reps, you get more comfortable,” Redick said.
asserted
Redick → think → reps
That said, Redick is very much still learning.
asserted
Redick → say → ?
He’s the first to admit when he thinks he could’ve handled situations better.
uncertain
he → ’ → situations
There was the time he snapped at a reporter who asked if he was going to lean on his assistants for substitution patterns ahead of Game 5 of the first round of the 2025 playoffs.
asserted
he → be → playoffs
Or when he and Doncic shared a tense moment on the bench last season.
asserted
he → share → bench
After both of those moments, he vowed to do better.
asserted
he → vow → moments
Redick is willing to do the hard work.
asserted
Redick → do → work
He’s introspective.
asserted
He → ’ → ?
He obsessively rewatches games in a dark basement.
asserted
He → rewatche → basement
He’s his harshest critic.
asserted
He → ’ → ?
That led to a major change last season.
asserted
That → lead → change
“I had a great revelation towards the second half of last year that I talked about with my performance coach this summer,” Redick said.
asserted
Redick → have → coach
“…Some of the things that helped me as a player are deterrents for me as a coach.
asserted
that → help → coach
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
