“As Long As People Curb Their Expectations”: JJ Redick’s Potential Lakers Success Expanded Upon By Celtics Legend

The Los Angeles Lakers have made the bold move of recruiting JJ Redick as their new head coach. Expectedly, the news received a sea of mixed reactions from the NBA community, giving rise to polarizing opinions. Amidst this chaos, Brian Scalabrine candidly discussed this deal’s parameters for success, outlining the impact of expectations.

The Boston Celtics legend initially applauded the Lakers for putting faith in a first-time head coach. However, considering the current roster and conference dynamics, the 46-year-old mentioned that the fans and the franchise alike must keep their hopes grounded. Expressing his stance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Scalabrine stated,

“They [the Los Angeles Lakers] gave him a nice dear contract…But I just wanna know how much are they gonna see this through…I just think as long as people curb their expectations about this roster and the Western Conference, then I think JJ Redick will do fine”.

Despite the harshness, the statement portrayed a fair picture of the current circumstances. During the recently concluded campaign, for instance, the Lakers struggled time and again to cope with the pressure. They failed to go toe-to-toe with the rest of the conference, with the lack of roster depth playing a major role in this.

This also cost the team during the postseason run. Despite entering the playoffs through a play-in victory, they crumbled against the Western Conference giants, the Denver Nuggets. The latter took advantage of the Lakers’ comparatively weaker roster, eventually securing the series win with a 4-1 margin.

Ever since then, they haven’t made any significant moves to improve their squad. Additionally, things could remain like this throughout the off-season because of the lack of tradable assets. So, their chances of strengthening the roster are almost nil, justifying Scalabrine’s words.

Despite these hurdles, Redick seemed to have come up with a plan that could pay long-term dividends.

How could JJ Redick counter the intense competition in the West?

As per The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Tennessee-born could focus heavily on improving the current roster. Under his management, Anthony Davis could emerge as the franchise talisman, especially during the crunch times. AD has allegedly discussed this scenario with the Redick, paving the way for a new beginning.

This will also reduce the workload on LeBron James during the regular season. Consequently, the possibility of the 39-year-old staying fresh during the postseason increases drastically. This could bring the best out of him in the knockout stages.

On top of these, the youngsters remain a major focus of Redick’s project. The likes of Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Max Christie may need to take up more responsibility in the upcoming season to lay the foundation for a new core within the roster.

The details of this plan recently surfaced on X (formerly Twitter), garnering the attention of the NBA fans.