With the 2024 Paris Olympics on the horizon, the media focus is moving away from JJ Redick. After the hailstorm of criticism of the Lakers’ coaching hire, the ruckus is now dying down. That should be good news for Redick, except it is not. That is because, just after the Olympics, the NBA teams will start their training camps for the next season. Redick cannot address the to-do list within a few months during the short window from July to September. The First Take panel provided him with the list verbally, which was based on Redick’s performance at the introductory press conference. To them, that was far from a good look.

During the latest episode of First Take, JJ Redick was the focus of discussion. How he’d fare next season, what his challenges are, what will be the obstacles in his path, everything was up for discussion. However, the assessment and prediction do not show a positive outlook on Redick’s future. Courtney Cronin, one of the 3 panelists alongside Molly Qerim, was quick to point out Redick’s media day F-bomb.

“I like what coach (Seth Greenberg) said about dealing with adversity and I’ll take it a step further. How does JJ Redick maintain his composure when dealing with adversity? I think you all know what I’m getting at here. Is he dropping F-bombs? The way that he did is in his introductory press conference. That wasn’t a good look,” the 30-year-old said. She also wondered how Redick would handle a personality like LeBron James in the long run.

LBJ will play his 22nd season in the league and to have a coach who has a total of 0 days of coaching experience behind him, things can turn into a repeat telecast of the Darvin Ham saga. “How is he going to manage the biggest personality of all in LeBron James, who at this age, this part of his career, he probably feels he has the credence to take over whenever he wants to?” Cronin questioned. “And what if there’s a game, like a game to find his decision in the final moment? Is it LeBron in the huddle giving direction, or is he actually deferring to JJ Redick, who was his choice for this job?” 

LeBron has a history of taking things into his own hands, which was evident last season when the 39-year-old was shouting to give him the board instead of Ham during a timeout. If Redick’s inexperience in the NBA coaching shoes becomes glaringly obvious during his stint, the same could happen to him as well. But is it the only challenge for Redick in his role as the Lakers HC?

What is JJ Redick’s challenge going into next season?

The last time the Lakers took the court, the Nuggets swept them aside. From that roster and the one the Lakers have today, there are no significant additions apart from Dalton Knecht and Bronny James. With the observed inertness in the market from the Lakers front office, the roster situation can be a big challenge for JJ Redick. “When we talk about also the biggest obstacle, it’s the Western Conference getting better overall as a whole,” Harry Douglas said in the show.

“They lost to Sacramento four times last season…The Western Conference isn’t easy. You get a Ja Marant coming back, OKC just gotten better. We’ve seen what Minnesota was bringing to the table. Denver, in my opinion, taking a step back, but they still have the MVP and one of the best duos in the NBA as well. So I think collectively, seeing so many other teams get better and the Lakers stay the same, that may hurt them,” the analyst further explained.

With a plethora of challenges in front of him, Redick needs to get his ducks in line quickly. The market hasn’t been kind to the Lakers, with all their targets getting snapped up. Keeping LeBron’s faith will not be his be-all and end-all during the season. Coaching the Lakers means the constant pressure of winning night after night.

The fact that the next season will be the first one since 2008 where the Lakers will head into a season trailing to the Celtics in the banner count makes Redick’s situation even tougher. But while it might be a mountainous challenge for the newly appointed Lakers HC, mountains are there to be climbed.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what brand maker, Leonard Armato, had to say about the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe, check out this video