Straight outta cooking people on ESPN to now coaching the Lakers, it’s been a gripping turn of events for JJ Redick. The former NBA sharpshooter has landed a four-year deal with the LA Nation. Albeit, he has no NBA experience of any sort as JJ has never even been on the coaching staff, let alone a head coach. Given the status the Lakers command, it’s only the most demanding organization, seemingly overwhelming for a first-year coach. But is it different for someone who has been on the court, meticulously studying plays to beat them? Mr Leonard Armato, as he told exclusively to EssentiallySports, agrees it is, and for the many reasons that he counted.

Several sportscasters spoke in the support of the former Sixers guard, but this very avenue of inexperience, even they couldn’t defend. Our NBA correspondent Vishal Kolar spoke with Shaq’s former agent, Mr Armato and the once savvy agent explained whether the Lakers need to be worrisome about Redick being a man with no medals.

Vishal: “Where I want to start is the part of player empowerment and how players have this much larger influence on the coaching decisions than they used to have. And I think a big part of this is LeBron having a relationship with JJ Redick and I believe personally that’s where a lot of the noise of JJ being the next coach came from even though he doesn’t have formal coaching experience. I know you mentioned Phil, like what are your thoughts on these new coaches kind of coming in with no formal coaching experience because it kind of worked with Steve Kerr… Do you think this is going to be a consistent theme of like former players breaking in and not going through the quote-unquote traditional process of kind of putting in the years in order to get ready to be a coach?”

Armato: “I don’t know how important it is to be an assistant coach for a number of years until you become a head coach. I don’t know, I really don’t. Personally, I don’t think it matters. I think it really has to be personal. The leadership quality. JJ Redick was a pro player. He has been in the system. He knows the game. The question is can he command the respect of these players and can he make the important decisions necessary to put the right players on the court at the same time. So if he has the respect of the players because he has played, because he is intelligent, he is a student of the game. If he has good decision-making when it comes to substitution and things of that nature player personnel, staff. I wouldn’t hesitate to hire him if I believed he instinctively had the capability to do that”

For the Duke University produce, it all started with announcing games and matured at his brilliance in swooning audiences. Soon, he began his very own podcast, where he first broke down complex plays like a game of chess, moving the pawns and devising strategies. Months passed and he landed a podcast beside LeBron James. It birthed the wildfire rumor that Redick was being groomed/tested to approach the helm at the Purple and Gold.

Now that it is official, this surely sounds like a bold decision by Rob Pelinka. Even more, when the promise of a four-year tenure kicks in. But it’s not that the due diligence hasn’t been done. The Lakers have held several meetings with Redick before finalizing his selection. He was competing with some well-respected names such as James Borrego and Sam Cassell. After a lot of deliberation, the front office reached its decision. And Redick has shown nothing but prosperous signs. Perhaps all those early years spent under the guidance of Mike Krzyzewski are finally paying.

His podcasts highlighted the analytical and communicative genius of Redick. The 39-year-old showed maturity and grasp of the opposition and mainly studied the data of every player on the floor with fine precision. There’s no doubt that it doesn’t warrant his success in a real-life simulation. But it isn’t right to judge his capabilities without giving him a chance.

The fresh details of JJ Redick signing with the Lakers

Redick’s signing with the ‘Showtime’ came as a complete curveball. The organization missed out on their hail mary play for UConn’s Dan Hurley which eventually led them to speed-track their hiring of Redick. Pelinka awarded him with a four-year deal reportedly worth $8 million per season according to Shams Charania. It will make him the seventh highest-paid coach in the NBA tied with the likes of seasoned minds such as Philadelphia 76ers’ Nick Nurse and Mavericks’ Jason Kidd. Though each of them has been a head coach in the NBA for at least 450 games.

As per Adrian Wojnarowski, JJ Redick immediately began the hunt for the perfect assistants beside him. And there could potentially be another newcomer. Amongst the ones being monitored include Trail Blazers assistant coach Scott Brooks, Celtics’ Sam Cassell, and also Mavericks assistant coach Jared Dudley. Former Laker Rajon Rondo is also a favored pick for a position in Redick’s entourage. Like the former three-point specialist, Rondo has no resume to prove his acumen, but his reputation precedes him.

Even LeBron James has previously admitted to Rondo’s astonishing basketball brains. James said “He could do things on the go. It’s very weird to me that he’s not coaching at a high level – I think it’s because he doesn’t want to do it. Who wants to deal with these rich entitled guys all the time?” when speaking to Redick on Mind the Game.

That’s all from this segment of EssentiallySports’ exclusive conversation with the revered Leonard Armato. More stories will be released soon. Make sure to be on the lookout for the same and let us know in comments if you think Lakers made the right choice.