JJ Redick Suffers Blatant Disrespect From ESPN’s Rival as Lakers Take a Major Hit Before Season Opener

From hosting podcasts to taking up one of the most challenging jobs in the NBA, JJ Redick‘s journey has been nothing but fascinating. However, his re-entry into the league as a head coach wasn’t without a hailstorm of criticism. The Lakers’ decision to hire the 39-year-old was met with harsh scrutiny because of his lack of experience on the bench. A majority of the Lakers fans and NBA fraternity were unhappy with the choice, as anything but a championship is a failure for the Lakers. But this time the insult reached its peak.

Recently, CBS Sports shared a post on X, ranking the Top 30 coaches in the NBA. While it is certain that neither Redick nor the Lakers fans were expecting the newcomer’s name at a high position on the list, his name was not even in the first twenty-nine spots. That’s right, if you scroll down to the bottom of the list you will come across JJ Redick’s name right below Wizards’ Brian Keefe. The media house was certainly quite harsh on their rival, ESPN’s former commentator. Although an argument can be made that, since Redick has yet to unfold his cards, it was a safe bet to put his name at the end.

The list topper is Erik Spoelstra. This comes as no surprise considering his championship history with the Heat. The Sixers’ Nick Nurse is just behind him, while the Warriors’ Steve Kerr grabbed the fourth spot. Nevertheless, Redick might want to keep a screenshot of it, ensuring that if he outshines himself with the Purple and Gold in the upcoming season, he has a chance to rub it on his detractors.

The Lakers had a relatively long offseason with no trades working in their favor. After a long wait, the Cameroonian center, Christian Koloko, got on board but didn’t get the green signal from the league’s fitness panel because of his medical condition. So, Redick already has a lot on his plate and CBS’s post just added one more to it. However, the franchise stands in full support of their new HC and think highly of him.

Lakers see JJ Redick as the second coming of Pat Riley

Despite the criticisms, the LA Lakers are confident about JJ Redick’s reign at the franchise. Not only do they believe he will excel in the upcoming seasons, but also that he will remain with the Lakers for a longer duration, even if it’s in a different role.

The Athletic brought the franchise’s perception of Redick to light. According to the LA front office, Redick is a “Pat Riley-like coaching prospect who could both help the franchise in the short term and lead it for years.”

Riley too belonged to the broadcasting field before becoming the franchise’s assistant coach and later the head coach. During his HC era (1981-90), the Lakers won four championship titles. Then “The Godfather” moved on to the NY Knicks before finally settling down with the Miami Heat and taking up the GM’s position after coaching them.

Comparing Redick with Riley is one heck of a compliment that the franchise bestowed upon the former Duke. To live up to the expectations, Redick needs to enhance his team’s performance and prepare his strategies, as the NBA regular season will be starting next month. With defensive issues to fix and shooting worries to resolve, JJ Redick has a lot to prove, and the ranking just might give him the extra fire he needs to get through the storm.