“You’re going to see guys that are going to say, ‘Is coach [Redick] going to do a podcast after the game with LeBron?’” NBA legend Udonis Haslem was once among those who were quick to put out a critique after JJ Redick was hired as the new Lakers HC in June. Additionally, Haslem questioned whether other players would ‘side-eye’ anything Redick proposes, asking: “‘Is it JJ’s message? Or is it LeBron’s message?’” After all, the ESPN analyst did not hold even the slightest of coaching experience before getting hired by one of the most popular NBA franchises. Less than half a year later, Haslem’s belief seems to be returning to the minds of people.

Earlier today, ‘NBA on ESPN’ highlighted a clip featuring two moments. One was from an episode of LeBron James and JJ Redick’s ‘Mind the Game’ podcast. The other was from the Lakers-Grizzlies matchup that took place yesterday. During the podcast episode, the NBA All-Time Scorer discussed the merit of committing an intentional foul when his team was up by 6 during a game.

While JJ Redick let out a slight laugh at this idea, LeBron James continued, “If I’m up 6, and they make a 3, that becomes a one-possession game. But if I foul, while he’s bringing the ball up and they go the line, he makes 2, it’s still a two-possession game.”

These same words materialized in the recent matchup! The LA side led, 126-120, during the 4th quarter, with 19.3 seconds remaining. Marcus Smart gained possession of the ball and dashed to the other end of the court. Before he could reach the basket, however, LeBron James grabbed him from the waist before quickly letting him go. The Grizzlies received the advantage of the foul call.

This was all the 39-year-old Lakers legend was looking for! Even Marcus Smart realized this trick, as he seemed to have dropped the ball in frustration after the foul call. The strategy worked, and the Lakers left Crypto.Com Arena with a 128-123 win. LeBron James putting out a strategy, and then implementing it, was enough for several social media users to start reacting in the comments.

How did fans react to LeBron James putting a months-old hypothetical strategy to the test?

Self-described up-and-coming Nepali Rapper, Manny Wave, was among the people who reacted. He boasts over 199,000 followers on Instagram. His main expertise may be music, but the ‘NBA on ESPN’ clip still caught his attention. After looking at both videos, he put out a question that may have been on the minds of some other viewers, too. Wave asked, “Who’s the coach”, accompanied by two laughing face emojis. While this may be a joke, it is exactly what Udonis Haslem had predicted would be thought by Lakers players.

It’s no secret that LeBron James was not a fan of the former head coach. According to Andrew Irvin, the 4x Champ would “roll his eyes” occasionally when Darvin Ham would be giving instructions. Later, he would say “f–k all that”, and give his set of instructions.

The hoopster’s alleged disagreements with other HCs over his career even reportedly earned him the title of ‘Coach Killer.’ As a result, when the Lakers went with a candidate with no prior coaching experience, many joked about LeBron James being the real instructor. Even Riot Comedy implied this by doing a parody of Redick’s interview conducted by LeBron himself.

One individual observed the ‘Mind the Game’ podcast clip and determined, “Bro was interviewing JJ”. A factor that people believed worked in favor of JJ when he was still a candidate in consideration for HC, was that he already had a professional relationship with LeBron. Thanks to the podcast. Despite this, several reports made it clear that King James played no role in Redick’s hiring process.

No matter what, ‘Mind the Game’ highlighted a preexisting relationship between Bron and JJ. It also highlighted the latter’s basketball IQ, which could bode well for any team if applied practically. Therefore, James may very well have been interviewing JJ!

One social media user made a reference to the past by writing “They really was cooking Darvin Ham right before his eyes”, accompanied by a bunch of emojis.

In the aftermath of Darvin Ham’s firing, the instructor became a point of discussion for many. Back in June, Fox Sports Radio host Dan Beyer played a clip from the podcast’s 6th episode. In it, Redick asked James, “Has any coach, front office person, analytics person on staff, have they ever come to you and talked to you about analytics and shot profile?” James replied, “F–k no.”

For Beyer, this was the point where Redick allegedly attempted to undermine Ham’s position. The reporter stated, “That is JJ Redick driving the bus completely over Darvin Ham and driving it into the Lakers front office, into Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss’ office and saying, ‘Make me the head coach.’ It’s such a setup.” Months later, Dan Beyer’s belief continues to be held by a few others.

Another social media user attempted to undermine LeBron James’ strategy entirely. He did so by writing, “If you play 2k you been knew this”. Having had only 2 days’ worth of experience with NBA 2K himself, the author realizes that the game does require some deep thinking. Therefore, if someone developed this strategy before LeBron James, it wouldn’t be a surprise.

However, not every comment took a shot at LeBron or Redick. Some even appreciated the deep thinking that LeBron and JJ are capable of implementing on the court. As a result, one individual wrote, “This duo is great for the Lakers.”

The Lakers’ win percentage could improve. A 7-4 win record shows that JJ Redick is pushing and trying to do his best. Meanwhile, LeBron James remains persistent on the offensive side, despite being weeks away from his 40th birthday!

Overall, the reactions were mixed. Some asked about the identity of the real HC. Others took a shot at the foul play, and a few appreciated it. Some alleged a form of plotting. Despite everything, JJ Redick is here to coach, and LeBron James to play. If the two clips proved anything, it was that the 39-year-old is willing to try out new strategies if it means that he could have a shot at a 5th title.