Have the Lakers been hiding their best shooter all along? After a hot start to the season, their momentum has taken a massive jolt as they currently rank tenth in the West. Sure enough, it is clear that the LA team needs more help, especially in the shooting department. Unfortunately, arguably the squad’s most lethal shooter might be ineligible to play. Yes, we are talking about the rookie head coach, JJ Redick, who took the internet by storm with his latest masterclass, as Laker Nation urged him to save the team.

In a viral video ahead of tonight’s Kings matchup, JJ was seen drilling multiple corner threes with ease. And he had some jokes to go with his elite jumpers, “If we ever need help with our late game free throws, we can always put in the 9th of all time (%)” Obviously, he was one of the most reliable shooters in NBA history with a career efficiency of 41.5% from deep and 89.2% from the charity stripes.

As he pointed out, JJ ranks ninth all-time in free-throw shooting percentage, only surpassed by a handful of players, including Ray Allen and Steve Nash. Stephen Curry tops that list with 91.01% efficiency. But in the famous words of James Harden, “Steph don’t count.” Seeing that JJ has still got it three years after his retirement, many fans pleaded for him to turn into a ‘player-coach’ and help end the Lakers’ struggles. Comments like, “he should just be on the roster at this point,” began flooding in.

Unfortunately, league rules do not allow it! Well, there have been a few ‘player-coaches’ in the past, with Bill Russell being the most notable name. Yes, he performed double duty for the Celtics from 1966-69, even winning two titles during his tenure. But ever since the introduction of the salary cap in 1984, the ‘player-coach’ employment has been prohibited in the NBA. Dave Cowens was the last hoopster to hold that position in 1978-79. So, even though fans would love to see it, JJ is unlikely to wear the Purple and Gold.

NBA World praises JJ Redick and slams Lakers after viral clip: “Better Shooter than D’Lo”

Obviously, JJ’s ineligibility to play did not stop the fans from singing praises of the head coach. Seeing that he has not lost his shooting touch, netizens went into nostalgia mode, reminiscing about how great a shooter he was during his heyday, with comments like, “He was a sharpshooter his days in the league. That never goes away” and “I think a lot of NBA fans forgot how dangerous JJ was as a shooter in his Clippers/76ers days.”

Well, JJ was a key part of the Clippers’ Lob City era and even shot a league-high 47.5% from three during one of the seasons. Moreover, he finished his career with 1,950 threes, a number very few players have dreamed of reaching, let alone achieved.

Many netizens preferred JJ over some of the Lakers’ current players, writing, “Still a better shooter than D’Lo, Vincent, etc” and “I’d take him over D’Lo any day.” Obviously, fans are not pleased with D’Lo’s performance this season as his scoring average has dropped to 12.4 points and he is shooting at 33.3% efficiency from long range.

Unfortunately, making JJ play is not a viable solution to the Lakers’ problems and they will need to find a better way to end the team’s struggles. The obvious thing that comes to mind is Rob Pelinka making a trade before the mid-season deadline. Cam Johnson has been on the trade block for quite some time and he is having a career year, averaging 18.6 points. Moreover, he is shooting at 43.3% efficiency from deep range and 86.8% from the free-throw line. Solid numbers by the 6’8 forward. Apart from the shooting problem, he could also solve the Lakers’ length issue as they desperately need an elite big man to take some load off Anthony Davis’ shoulders. Cam could be that guy. And hopefully, the Lakers would not require Redick’s help following that move. Do you agree?