“MJ and Phil Jackson Were Not Friends”: JJ Redick Urged to Sacrifice Bond With LeBron James for Lakers’ Success

Having a good relationship with the head coach is paramount in the NBA. Any discourse could see the team’s objective fall. We are seeing the tension between Jimmy Butler and Miami spark trade rumors. In that sense, the Lakers might consider themselves lucky. Their new head coach JJ Redick shares a spotless bond with franchise leader LeBron James. It ensures the two remain cohesive and function spotlessly. Or their friendship could prove detrimental to their dynamic in the worst case. At least that’s what Evan Cohen believes.

During the recent episode of Unsportsmanlike on ESPN, the seasoned personality explained why Redick needs to redefine his terms with James. “MJ and Phil Jackson weren’t friends,” he told Michelle Smallmon. According to Cohen, it will be impossible for the 15-year veteran and first-time head coach to establish his authority if he maintains a friendship with James. To truly embrace the winning ideology, he advised Redick to make a sacrifice in that regard.

“If you are going to be the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and you were going to succeed, you cannot be friends with your best player,” Cohen expressed.

As a head coach, the job is more about having a good repo with your players. JJ Redick needs to be the commanding voice in the locker room. James is a well-respected member and elder than Redick. If he maintains the friendship, it could lead to James overruling Redick’s authority and disobeying his instructions altogether. There might be a filter in their communication or Redick could give James more freedom than a player is obligated to.

Over the years, though, there hasn’t ever been a situation where a head coach has found James to be troublesome or disruptive. While he is a knowledgeable individual, LeBron James is an equally model professional who has always respected the boundaries between a player and an HC. It’s worth considering that there has never been an amalgamation as such where a player and the head coach shared a business relationship.

Hence, there’s always a chance that JJ Redick submits to his friend’s voice or begins to lose his footing on the team. James’ history doesn’t suggest such behavior. Yet, disregarding the situation altogether isn’t ideal. If the Lakers want to win and are hoping Redick stays long after James, they need him to take control of the locker room and be the decisive individual.

JJ Redick has no problem with confrontation

JJ Redick has never been a head coach before. Not only is he stepping into the most storied franchise, but he is also to coach future Hall of Famers in James and Anthony Davis. Without a decorated resume, it could be challenging for the 40-year-old to instruct such supreme talents in the ways necessary. However, communication is his strongest suit, as per Redick himself.

“I can sit up here and tell you how I would like for them to play, but if there’s no buy-in then it doesn’t really matter. Anthony [Davis] and I already had a conversation a week ago about some of the ideas both offensively and defensively…I brought up with him the idea of him being a hub…in a way that sort of maximizes all of his abilities” he said during his introductory press conference.

Redick is well aware of how vital it is to have the trust of his players moving forward. He has had conversations with AD, who is the future of the franchise, and worked out ways of how to utilize his skills to the extremes. He also shared a short phone call with LeBron James after his hire, which “was very intentional on both our parts” he told ESPN. Maybe it was their way of defining their new hierarchy.

At the end of it all, James is in his last years yearning to add another title. JJ Redick has a chip on his shoulders with the criticism he received on becoming the head coach. With it all considered, they can surely be versatile and forge a relationship that accents not just their past connection but also the Lakers as a whole.