After 19 seasons, four NBA championships, and 15 All-Star appearances, Shaquille O’Neal has smoothly transitioned from dominating the court to dominating the analyst desk. And this time, he is offering his analysis and key advice to new Lakers head coach JJ Redick. He suggests that Redick follows Phil Jackson’s player-management blueprint to avoid friction in the locker room. While predicting a challenging start for Redick, Shaq emphasized that building relationships with players will be crucial to his success.

Speaking on the Pat McAfee Show, O’Neal highlighted that Redick must gain respect from the entire Lakers squad, not just LeBron James. Drawing from Jackson’s methods, Shaq stressed the importance of understanding player dynamics, a key to keeping stars like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in line during Jackson’s tenure.

According to Shaq, Jackson’s strength was in his ability to unite the team beyond tactics. “Phil knew how to keep the locker room in his palm,” Shaq explained. He believes Redick should master player psychology, as understanding the “heartbeat” of the team could determine the success of his first season as head coach.

DJ Diesel also recalled how Jackson handed out books and studied his players’ limits, advising Redick not to rely on yelling to manage his team. “Phil Jackson was a master of that. He’d bring us in, he’d interview us, but he was really, trying to check out our psychological state,” Shaq said after discussing how Redick can’t just yell at anyone he sees fit. “He would hand out these books. Like, you can’t yell at certain players, so he’s gonna have to know each individual, their dos and their don’ts and what they can like.”

Shaq believes for Redick to rise the ladder, he shouldn’t just focus on Bron but other key figures in the team like Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, and Austin Reaves to ensure team cohesion. “And if you get on their good side, they’ll arrive for them. But if you get on the guy’s bad side, that’s gonna make the job much harder,” Shaq cautioned.

With training camp approaching, Redick has a challenge ahead. While some compare him to Pat Riley, Shaq quickly dismissed that comparison, suggesting Redick is not ready to follow in Riley’s footsteps just yet.

Shaquille O’Neal dismisses JJ Redick and Pat Riley’s comparison

Remember that strict homeroom teacher from your high school day? Pat Riley would probably fit in that role smoothly. Known for his strictness, it was inevitable that he’d clash with Shaquille O’Neal when the latter found himself in Miami. Knowing Riley’s management style and temper, Shaq doesn’t believe JJ Redick can approach that style. So no, Redick is not the next Pat Riley in Shaq’s books.

“Stop it. No. First of all, JJ is a nice guy. Pat Riley is the man. So, imagine you come in and JJ Redick starts yelling at you. It’s gonna be a f**ing fight in there. Players ain’t going for all that yelling and all that screaming and all that extra running. Next Pat Riley, my a*,” Shaq said when Pat McAfee informed him how “Basketball people” are likening the two. According to Shams Charania and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers view Redick as a “Pat Riley-like coaching prospect who could both help the franchise in the short term and lead it for years.” 

Adding further, Shaq suggested he might be the next Joe Mazzulla, but not coach Riles. So if Redick accomplishes what Mazzulla has done with his Celtics side, the Lakers nation has every reason to celebrate Redick’s impending reign with the gold and purple.