An NBA assistant coach who used to play for the Lakers has criticized his old team for taking a gamble in hiring JJ Redick, while suggesting that Redick is more than content to serve his time and one day lead a team.
The 39-year-old former forward, who now coaches the Dallas Mavericks’ Summer League team, spoke to reporters on Tuesday, four days before his first game as coach against the Utah Jazz.
He first said, ‘I want to be a head coach, that’s my dream…
‘Some of us aren’t JJ Redick and we just go straight to the top… Sometimes you gotta do what [years] as an assistant.
“We all have our own times… My time will come later, but my time will essentially come.”
JJ Redick, 40, was named head coach of the Lakers despite having no significant experience in the NBA
The Lakers, who hired Redick despite his lack of head coaching experience and just three seasons after he retired as a player, named both Scott Brooks and Nate McMillan as assistants to support their new manager next season.
McMillan, 59, compiled a 760-668 record over 19 seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics (2000-05), Portland Trail Blazers (2005-12), Indiana Pacers (2016-20) and Atlanta Hawks (2020-23). His teams reached the playoffs 11 times, including a run to the 2021 East finals with Atlanta.
Brooks, 58, compiled a 521-414 record in 12 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2008-15) and Washington Wizards (2016-21). His teams made the playoffs eight times, including Oklahoma City’s trip to the NBA Finals in 2012. He was the NBA Coach of the Year in 2009-10.
Earlier this month, during a press conference with general manager Rob Pelinka at the Lakers’ training complex, Redick humorously embraced the improbability of his extraordinary appointment as he looked out over a gym full of team employees, members of the media and several of his new players.
The former NBA forward who spoke out against the Lakers’ hiring was involved in the team’s 2020 title run
He is now an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks under Jason Kidd after retiring in 2021
“I’ve never coached in the NBA before,” Redick said, deadpan. “I don’t know if you guys heard that.”
Redick’s coaching experience is limited to volunteer work with his sons’ youth teams, but he plans to bridge that gap on his resume with encyclopedic basketball knowledge, personal charisma, a seasoned coaching staff and a drive to innovate.
“This process has been surreal to say the least,” Redick said. “I take this responsibility very seriously.
“… The Lakers have some of the most passionate fans in the world, and the expectation is a championship, and so my job is to deliver a championship-caliber team. That’s what I signed up for.”
The player is none other than Jared Dudley, who was LeBron James’ teammate for two seasons
Redick also said he got this opportunity without any help or advice from LeBron James, with whom he co-hosted a popular podcast — “Mind the Game” — until he was hired by the Lakers.
He’ll surely remember Jared Dudley’s words when the Lakers and Mavs face off next season. Dudley, now an assistant with the Mavs, was part of the Lakers’ championship team in the 2020 NBA Bubble.
During the team’s championship run, Dudley averaged 1.5 points per game.
But he missed 33 games in the 2020-21 NBA season with a torn MCL and a contusion in his right knee, prompting him to come out of retirement and join the Dallas coaching staff, where he described himself as a “front bench player” role.