Magic Johnson ‘Challenges’ Rob Pelinka To Improve The Lakers Roster In Light Of JJ Redick’s Hiring

The Los Angeles Lakers went forward with hiring former NBA player, JJ Redick as the new head coach of the team. The team has offered the former Duke sharpshooter a four-year contract, reportedly worth $32 million. Redick’s hiring has led to polarizing reactions but Lakers legend Magic Johnson is more focused on making the best of what’s at hand for LA.

Magic Johnson was ‘cautiously optimistic’ when the Lakers announced their hiring of JJ Redick. So, while Magic is on board with JJ joining the Lakers organization, the five-time NBA champion is not sold on the team’s current roster, urging Rob Pelinka to make some drastic changes.

“Naming a head coach was just the first step. Even bigger than naming JJ Reddick as the Head Coach, Rob Pelinka’s next step must be to improve the roster if we are going to compete against all the powerhouse teams in the West like the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Mavericks, Suns, Thunder, Spurs, and the Clippers.”

The Lakers’ biggest issue during the regular season was their over-dependence on LeBron James and Anthony Davis. One is almost 40, and the other had one of his best seasons since 2020, but the lack of help from their other players was concerning to fans.

Their offense is as good as ever, but their defense is entirely dependent on Davis. While players like James and Vanderbilt helped out a lot, their major issues on D came because of injuries. Jarred Vanderbilt, their best perimeter defender, kept getting injured as soon as he built some momentum, and summer acquisition Gabe Vincent only played 11 games all season.

With such an inconsistent defense, the Lakers struggled to guard the 3, and this proved to be their undoing in the first-round loss to the Nuggets.

JJ Redick has a huge task ahead of him, as he needs to not only revamp the defense but also reduce the team’s dependency on Davis and James for every offensive action. While players like Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell have proved they are capable of anchoring an offense, their horror showing in the playoffs remains a mark against them.

Breaking down what Magic Johnson said on X, all the teams mentioned in his tweet have young stars franchises can build around. While some of those young guns still need a year or two to fully reach their potential, they still possess a great mix of veterans who have proved their mettle in the league.

JJ Redick wasn’t the first choice of hiring

Magic Johnson expressed his ‘cautious optimism’ over the Los Angeles Lakers hiring JJ Redick as the new head coach. Magic may sound confident and hopeful with Redick taking over the helm, but he is also playing it safe merely by adding the word ‘caution’ in case things don’t work out.

“I’m cautiously optimistic that this new hire is a success for both the Lakers and JJ Reddick. I enjoyed watching him as a player – great 3-point shooting, high basketball IQ, passion for the game, and mental and physical toughness. If he can bring how he played professionally to the Lakers – this could work out! But will his transition from star basketball player to head coach end up like Steve Kerr, Jason Kidd, Ty Lue, or Doc Rivers or the former NBA players turned coaches who weren’t successful?”

The former 6’9 point guard brought in Steve Kerr and Jason Kidd as examples of players who turned to coaching and had a successful run. But he was still not sure whether Redick would end up being a part of that group or the ones who had a terrible coaching stint and were never hired as head coaches again.

It may be worth noting that the Los Angeles Lakers were planning to pursue Dan Hurley of the UConn Huskies for the head coaching position. What’s even more interesting is the fact that, as per BasketballSphere, Magic Johnson had initially endorsed Hurley before jumping on the JJ Redick train.

Johnson shared his thrill and excitement on X, claiming, “This would be a game changer for the Lakers organization.”

Unfortunately, the Lakers could not sign the back-to-back NCAA Division I winner but they do seem confident in Redick leading the team from the sidelines. It’ll be interesting to see how Redick, a player who came into the league after LeBron James, would direct the team’s traffic on the floor with a player who was not only drafted before him but has surpassed Redick in possibly every stat and accolade.

With the Celtics just having secured banner #18, the pressure will be on Redick to ensure that the Lakers reach contention level as soon as possible.