The Los Angeles Lakers bizarrely gave head coach JJ Redick an extension after just one year with the team.
Having originally signed a four-year contract, it’s now safe to say Redick is in it for the long haul. One has to believe that his healthy relationship with Luka Doncic played a factor.
“We think he’s a special coach with a special voice that’s really helping us define the culture of Lakers excellence,” President and GM Rob Pelinka said. “We just wanted to make a clear statement that this is what we believe in, what we’re going to lean into and what our players are going to mold into as we continue to develop the identity. I think having long-term planning is helpful as we build this team and go forward.”
Redick led the Lakers to a 50 win season last year but the team fell flat in the playoffs. The Minnesota Timberwolves cruised past L.A. in five games for the franchise’s third consecutive first round exit.
Prior to the Lakers, Redick had no previous head coaching experience. He did have a 15-year playing career in the NBA.
“It’s not lost on me, this sort of rarity of a first-time head coach getting an extension,” Redick said Thursday. “I recognize how fortunate I am to be in an organization that supports me in that way.”
Redick’s First Season Not All Peaches And Cream
Objectively, the Lakers finished last season with the 11th best offense and a defense that ranked 15th. They had a net rating of plus-1.6 which put them 13th. The team went 28-19 before the Doncic trade and 22-13 after.
Doncic went 18-10 in the games he played with the Lakers.
They did finish with the seventh-most wins (23) in the clutch, going 23-16 in games within five points or fewer in the final five minutes.
Redick’s most difficult moment as a head coach came in Game 4 of the first round. With a sense of desperation trailing the series 2-1, Redick played the same five players for the entire second half.
Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith and Rui Hachimura gave their all but clearly ran out of gas in the fourth quarter.
Minnesota outscored Los Angeles 32-19 in the fourth quarter to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. For that egregious error alone it feels as though it would have been more prudent to be patient.
It is rather puzzling that the Lakers front office wouldn’t wait to at least see one full season with Doncic on the team to evaluate Redick a bit more thoroughly.
