Can JJ Redick Withstand the Burden of Lakers’ Long-Standing Legacy? NBA Legend Shares Raw Take

The drums of LeBron and Co. having a tough time finding a new coach could be heard all over the NBA world. Following Darvin Ham’s exit from the team the Lakers are having a tough time finding a coach. Ham boasted a record of 90-74 during the regular season. However, the reason for his exit from the team is often guessed to be the locker room instability with the players. Surely enough in a star-studded team like the Lakers, handling egos and keeping everyone happy can surely be a tough job.

Now, it seems from the reports that the team might find their new coach in JJ Redick to carry on the weighing responsibilities. After completing a formal interview, the Mavs star is said to be in talks of filling the shoes where Phil Jackson once stepped.

Not long ago, former Indiana Pacers legend and HOFer, Reggie Miller sat down for a podcast. In an episode of the Dan Patrick show Miller revealed his thoughts on Redick joining the team. The 58-year-old talked about how tough it might get for JJ looking at the state of the coaches who came after Jackson. Miller warned him of the dire result while explaining that a lot of coaches “have not survived,” (3 in the last 6 years) highlighting the tough path of coaching the 17X champions. More so, with no prior experience.

He said, “And now you’re gonna ask a guy who has never coached in this league to lead one of the two franchises that have 17 at the time as we’re speaking now NBA championships. That’s a lot to ask for J.J. Redick. If that’s what he wants great. But I am not quite sure your first time out the gate this is what you want.”

Although Miller has a point, there has been no official statement from the Lakers or Reddick. But as he said, if the deal ends up happening, the Lakers would be taking a huge bet on the 39-year-old as they look to win a championship after a 4-year draught. But he has also been favored for his basketball IQ as well as an ability to bring in a new perspective. Nonetheless, it is going to be a challenging run considering the expectations.

The top 3 LA Lakers coaches

As hard as it is to go on the court and play, it is equally hard to stay courtside and guide the team to victory. The Lakers with their rich history and a list of starts have gone through their fair share of changing coaches. Here are 3 popular choices:

Bill Sharman

Who can forget Bill? The man who guided the Lakers to their first championship after the team moved to LA. The year when the Lakers won, they went on a 33-straight win streak which is a record to this day. For his efforts, he was even inducted into the HoF and is only 1 of the 3 Lakers coaches to do so.

Patt Riley

You can’t make a Lakers’ coach history list without including Riley. The master of his craft guided the team through 7 finals and 4 NBA championships. Riley even holds a record surpassing Jackson. His win rate in the team was 73%! which is to date the highest in history.

Phil Jackson

If you are a Lakers fan you know one name that has to be on the list is of Jackson. Often regarded as the best coach not only for the Lakers but for the world of basketball. Phil Jackson is one name everybody knows. Under his guidance, the team won 610 games. He also guided the Lakers through 5 championships and 7 finals. 3 of those 5 championships helped the team to three-peat (2000, 2001, 2002). The GOATs’ stats surely speak for themselves.

How do you think the future of the Lakers might look with JJ’s onboarding? Let us know in the comment section below.

And Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about WNBA stars, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.