JJ Redick got off to a red-hot start in his Lakers coaching career at the beginning of the 2024-25 season. However, things have come crashing down for the purple and gold as they try to recover from a 1-4 road trip. Redick isn’t as worried about the debacle as fans might think he is from his sideline outbursts.
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On the contrary, he is relishing the opportunity to tackle adversity.
“It reinforced to me that I’m a masochist,” said Redick about the dismal road trip. Clearly, the former sharpshooting guard revels in ‘pain’, the pain being persistent on-court disappointment. This isn’t the first time he’s called himself a ‘masochist’, however.
He did so over the summer when explaining why he took up such a high-pressure job in his first ever outing as a head coach at the professional level.
“I felt a calling to coach. Part of that is that I’m just a sicko and I’m a masochist and I want to sign up for high stakes, high pressure.”
That masochistic passion that JJ has for coaching and the game of basketball has showed itself in several ways, both on and off NBA hardwood. Shams Charania reported that Redick has ‘broken clipboards’ quite a few times since taking up his head coaching duties in a fit of rage following subpar executions by his squad.
“I’m told there have been a number of clipboards broken over the first month of J.J. Redick as head coach of the Lakers. He’s supremely passionate and that’s palpable within the roster about how badly he wants to win. He’s a perfectionist… He has brought a level of accountability to this Lakers group,” Charania reported.
“There have been a number of clipboards broken over the first month of JJ Redick as head coach of the Lakers.”
— @ShamsCharania to @KevinNegandhi on how JJ Redick is resonating in his first month as head coach
(via @SportsCenter) pic.twitter.com/xifoJDyJ7k
— BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) November 9, 2024
Redick’s passion is quite evident in his antics in the sidelines. In his early coaching days, he has already developed the reputation of being extremely animated. Such mid-game antics were on full display during the latest clash against the Memphis Grizzlies.
It appeared as though Redick wasn’t a huge fan of the contested three-pointer that D’Angelo Russell attempted mid-way into the third quarter. The miss resulted in the head coach expressing his frustration by vehemently banging his chair.
It may not be the most motivating for a player to see his coach act in such a way. It probably even affected D’Lo’s confidence as he failed to score any points for the remainder of the game. However, Redick quickly addressed the situation and had a productive conversation with the guard about the incident.
JJ Redick also addressed the feedback from D’Angelo Russell after their conversation, saying D-Lo’s been “super professional” and “super coachable”. https://t.co/XN2nXxZqYZ pic.twitter.com/TvrSL3lIxh
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) November 9, 2024
There is a noticeable difference between Redick’s and Ham’s personality.
Unlike the latter, Redick isn’t as passive, particularly during the team huddles in timeouts. He has also brought about a positive attitude in the camp. Additionally, by running innovative set plays and adopting quick changes in the rotation, the 40-year-old has also proven to have a high basketball IQ. All these traits has resulted in the squad showing trust in their coach.
