Until last week, it seemed like the Los Angeles Lakers were close to defying convention and about to give a former NBA pro a massive coaching start. Now a much more experienced name is in the rumor mill. Dan Hurley is different from the NBA-bred assistant coaches who were possible candidates to replace Darvin Ham. He’s a lot different from JJ Redick too, whose life after the NBA was more in the media and has next to no coaching experience. A day after the speculation picked up that the Lakers had pretty much sealed the deal on Redick, it got out that the franchise is aggressively courting Dan Hurley instead with a massive contract.

Hurley has no NBA experience but he is the head coach of the University of Connecticut’s men’s team and is fresh off repeating as the NCAA champion. Hurley reportedly had a meeting scheduled with the team on Friday but details are still obscure. So far, nothing has been set in stone. Yet it’s become clear that Hurley is a frontrunner like Redick.

Both have vastly different careers. Redick is widely regarded as one of the best shooters in NBA history and unlike his unfair notoriety, he has a great connection with several NBA pros. Hurley never played in the NBA but his coaching trajectory has been gradually upwards till back-to-back NCAA titles at a top-seeded school. It’s apples and oranges but worth looking at why the Lakers are so keen on both of them.

The pros of having JJ Redick

A lot of arguments have been made about why Redick is not the best choice to be the Lakers HC. Primary among them is his connection to the franchise star, LeBron James, and his lack of coaching experience. But there’s an upside to him too. From his 15-year playing career to his media ventures, Redick exudes tremendous basketball IQ. He averaged 12.8 PPG, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 940 regular season games.

Those jokes on X about Redick lacing up when the Lakers need a clutch hero have definitive reasons. He was someone fans loved to hate, especially during his time in college, when he was a player for his insane competitiveness, confidence, and intelligence to back it.

At Duke, he collected ACC honors like the ACC tournament MVP and ACC Player of the Year twice each. In 2006, he was the National College Player of the Year. After the Orlando Magic selected him 11th overall in the 2006 NBA draft, he played for six NBA teams. While he didn’t win any NBA titles, he was insanely memorable.

Redick was famous for a remarkable work ethic that his haters couldn’t deny. In Orlando, he was known for maximizing efficiency in workouts. Some say he was obsessively organized too. That showed in his viral 342 shooting drill.

At 31 years old, about five years from retirement, he maintained his shooting efficiency in the offseason making 20 shots at seven different spots at full speed, 42 pull-up jumpers, 21 to the right, 21 to the left, and 20 free throws. That’s 342 shots a day. The result showed in one of the Clippers’ seasons when he recorded a career-high 16.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists sending the Clippers to the playoffs.

This compulsive organization was something the past coaches in the Lakers were lacking and what they desperately needed. It’s an appealing necessity to utilize LeBron’s and Anthony Davis’ limited championship windows. But what about the other frontrunner in this race?

Dan Hurley’s championship experience

Until recently, JJ Redick’s biggest competition was the Pelicans assistant coach James Borrego. Then Dan Hurley entered the chat out of nowhere. Compared to both, Hurley knows what it takes to win a championship. The highlights of his resume are the 2023 and 2024 championships with the Huskies. Reportedly, the celebrated college coach and Lakers consultant, Mike Krzyzewski, threw his name in the hat.

His brother, Bobby Hurley, played at Duke a decade before Redick before establishing his own NCAA championship coaching career. Their dad was an experienced coach too. But pedigree isn’t a factor in this decision.

The Seton Hall alum started at the high school level before moving to head coach at Wagner and Rhode Island. UConn signed him in 2018 and in two years, led the Huskies to the postseason. He wouldn’t win his first championship until 2023, which led to a six-year contract extension worth $32.1 million.

Following that, he led the Huskies through 37 wins, the Big East title, the #1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history, and a second consecutive title. The Lakers are reportedly offering the Naismith College Coach of the Year a $100 million deal.

Barring AD, the Lakers roster is offense-heavy. Hurley’s style is largely defense-focused. Hiring him makes some observers reckon the team might restructure the roster of its biggest stars. However, this is still speculation and the Lakers remain unpredictable.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.