The Los Angeles Lakers’ rookie Head Coach JJ Redick has propelled the team to a 3-1 record to begin the 2024-25 campaign on a high note. While many NBA experts were skeptical of his prospects as an HC, Matt Barnes has backed him to get the job done from the beginning. On his All The Smoke pod, during a sitdown with Trevor Ariza, Barnes lauded Redick for the Lakers’ hot start and relayed that he has always believed that he’d be successful as an HC.
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Since he played in 220 games with Redick during his NBA days, Barnes knows Redick very well. The 2017 champion highlighted how Redick both has the swagger and the knowledge of the game to fit into the profile of a Lakers HC. Barnes said,
“JJ, I knew he would be successful. Obviously we’re in three games (now 4), we don’t want to jump the gun but JJ moves around with an arrogance and a confidence because he does the work. He moved the way as a player… The dude is always a consummate professional. A beautiful mind when it comes to Xs and Os.”
Barnes also pointed out Redick’s ability to win over the Lakers locker room. He recalled how unlike his former teammate, Lakers’ previous head coaches Frank Vogel and Darvin Ham were unable to connect with the LeBron James-led locker room.
He also credited Redick for getting the best out of Anthony Davis, who has scored 29 points or more in each game to start the season. Per Barnes, if AD remains healthy, then he can tally a similar scoring average for the season.
“No one’s has been able to crack the code of that locker room… I think he came in with the respect of the guys but I think more than anything, he has empowered Anthony Davis,” Matt Barnes added
In June, Barnes supported Redick’s fit with the Lakers as their HC despite overwhelming backlash and skepticism from many corners. During his pod, he lauded his basketball IQ and proclaimed, “That motherf***er know the game. He’s super smart”.
Barnes’ words have come to fruition at the beginning of the 2024-25 season. The Lakers’ early ascension suggests that the locker room is buying into Redick’s philosophy.
Redick is thriving as a coach
Lakers athletes have been raving about Redick’s positive influence on the team since he displayed his vocal leadership during the training camp. Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been a huge fan of his approach and has put up an impressive 19.3 points and 7 rebounds per game on 55% shooting from the field in Redick’s offensive system.
After the four-point loss against the Suns, Reaves spoke highly about his head coach’s dedication to his craft, relaying,
“As he was walking out [after the game], he let out a nice little F word which shows how much he cares. His passion is on another level. You can tell every single second of every day, he’s locked in for the betterment of our group.”
Meanwhile, Redick also displayed tremendous leadership after the loss by taking all the blame on himself. He lamented not using blitz defense (where multiple defenders surround a player as soon as he touches the ball) on Durant earlier as he scored 8 points in a row to keep his team up with around 3 minutes left. During the post-game conference, he said,
“If there’s one thing to nitpick, it’s probably me. I probably should’ve gone to the fire [a blitz] a possession or two earlier against KD, but I like that group that we had out there defensively.”
The Lakers have been missing this type of energy for a while. However, these are early days for Redick as an HC and an 82-game NBA schedule has many twists and turns. Thus, how he will react during a difficult period will determine the trajectory the amped-up Lakers players take in the coming days.
