OPINION: On JJ Redick and the Lakers
Redick and the Lakers have received a lot of criticism over the past year -- only a fraction of which is warranted.
Editor’s Note: This article was written on January 4 and has failed to account for the Lakers’ recent two-game slide and the Southern California fires that destroyed Redick’s house. All (most) stats are relevant to January 3-4.
LOS ANGELES — When Nets wing and ten-year vet Dorian Finney-Smith learned he’d be traded to the Lakers for D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-rounders, he was in between stretching out for their upcoming away game in Orlando and shooting around on the largely-empty Kia Center. The trade’s impact on him was jarring — Finney Smith was blossoming into a leader for the young, new-look Nets as they plunged into a rebuilding phase. Finney-Smith went from lacing up his black-and-yellow Kobe 6s to trading them for dull, beige slides. Finney-Smith rushed through the packed Orlando International Airport around 12 miles away and ordered a ticket for Brooklyn to gather his stuff.
He and his teammate Shake Milton, also traded in the blockbuster deal, began prepping for a cross-country trip to their new home. They packed their stuff, called their agents, called their families, booked a flight to Los Angeles, arranged room and board, and checked in on that game in Orlando, where the Nets threw away a 21-point lead and lost 102-101.
When Finney-Smith and Milton touched down in Los Angeles and waded through the bloated traffic, they were suddenly part of the hottest topic of mainstream basketball news. Analysts debated whether Russell’s exile from the Purple and Gold was warranted. They pondered whether LeBron James would serve as interim point guard, how the two ex-Nets would slot into the Lakers’ rotation, and how the new Lakers felt about actually being Lakers.
“Excited,” Finney-Smith said, thoughtfully stroking his beard. “We’re back to playing some meaningful [playoff] basketball. It’s been a while, but I’m excited, especially if I can play tomorrow.”
In his first days in the Purple and Gold, Finney-Smith could understand that this Lakers squad was as dysfunctional as it was brilliant. The team is loaded with starpower in All-Stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James, as well as Austin Reaves, who scored 35 points and added nine rebounds and ten assists in Finney-Smith’s debut.
They also have exciting youth coming through the pipelines — rookie Dalton Knecht and X-factor guard Max Christie. They’ve been excitingly competitive for a team relegated to the play-ins last season; they boast competitive wins over the Grizzlies, Kings (thrice), and Warriors in just the month of December. With Finney-Smith, who averaged just shy of 10 points per game at Brooklyn, in the mix, they can finally trot out a respectable frontcourt.
Yet, there are issues. Their shooting is mediocre, they struggle immensely to clean the glass, and their defense is somehow worse. Although head coach JJ Redick is performing spectacularly for a rookie, he is still a rookie coach and is prone to some questionable decisions. You could also question how much the team relies on the 40-year-old LeBron James, fourth in the league in turnovers per game.
But these are relatively minor issues, at least. Finney-Smith cannot figure out — at least on Day 1 — why the Atlantic, ESPN, and the Los Angeles Times keeps slamming the Lakers for their mediocrity. Things in 13-21 Brooklyn, where fans only tune in to watch Cam Thomas thrive in isolation and check in on whether they’re winning in the lottery race, are much worse than this.
By Day 5, he can understand it somewhat well. The Lakers are brasher and bolder than their quietly solid playing explains. The greatness of LeBron James, still shattering records in Year 22, dominates Instagram posts. Davis, Reaves, and even role players like Rui Hachimura and Christie will garner insane amounts of interactions and followers on social media. Their every move and murmur is meticulously studied by the media.
The amount of media attention the Lakers garners is unreal. It results in a toxic environment. Failures are blown out of proportion. Disagreements escalate into feuds. Importantly, successes are downplayed.
The most damning incident of this happens as Finney-Smith flicks on Inside the NBA. The familiar cast is responding to Redick’s weeks-old, distasteful comments about the role media had in the league’s rapidly declining TV ratings.
“If I’m a casual fan and you tell me every time I turn on the television that the product sucks, well, I’m not going to watch the product,” Redick told Athletic reporter Jovan Buha. “And that’s really what has happened over the last 10 to 15 years. I don’t know why. It’s not funny to me.”
Charles Barkley interprets the shot as an indictment on pundits like himself and responds with a thinly veiled threat about the security of his job.
“JJ, you come for the king, you better not miss,” Barkley chortled. “Because I can get you, brother. Remember, I got the Lakers games. You can’t hide the flaws they got. You’re just a dead man walking.
“He came in there thinking ‘I can make this thing work.’ The hell you can!” Barkley continues as co-stars die with laughter. You can put some makeup on that pig! The Lakers stink man, come on.”
Redick tells the eight billion people clamoring to ask him about the incident before the game tonight that the incident didn’t faze him and he really doesn’t care. But, as you trot out with your new teammates to face an old foe, you can spot a new glint in his eyes as he seeks to prove Barkley wrong.
That glint has been there at times for the rookie coach, often placed under the limelight after his controversial hiring. Redick was picked by James, GM Rob Pelinka, and Jeanie Buss to take over from Darvin Ham over more experienced coaches like ex-Hornets coach James Borrego and Celts assistant Sam Cassell — even though most of his coaching experience came from his
“two 55 Swish League championships in the third- and fourth-grade division,” Redick told the press at his introductory conference. “Like, I understood, you know? I understood."
His Lakers are flying but there has been significant turbulence on the way. Despite starting 3-0, they quickly went 1-4 in their next five games. Redick reacted angrily to several spurned Lakers possessions and put Russell on blast during a blowout loss to Memphis, citing his level of competitiveness, before storming out a press conference. He’s put several of his players on blast in front of the press, isolating an already divided locker room.
It doesn’t help that he’s been cagey around the press and a lot of his most viral moments go without context. It seemed ironic that Redick, the offspring of the modern podcast scene, was now being eviscerated by so many of his former contemporaries.
But when he’s at his best, he’s brilliant. Redick’s Lakers play slower and more methodical, letting good looks come to them through quick passing and off-ball movement instead of hunting them down — a stark contrast from Ham’s stale offense forced into unfamiliar situations. His revamped defense has stifled some of the West’s brightest stars, and his willingness to hand Davis the keys to the team’s offense has paid off immensely. Most importantly, he’s a figure his team respects — unlike his predecessor.
It was inside the locker room — not in the New American tabloids, the television podcasts, the biased Instagram posts, or the misuse of stats — that Finney-Smith saw the real Redick. And he loved it.
Redick is heated. It’s a stark contrast from the cool, analytical, borderline-snobby Redick that dished hot takes on First Take. His team was only up by eight against a mediocre Hawks side, and Redick was reportedly frustrated with his team’s lack of attention to the details. Their transition defense was sloppy, and so was their shotmaking. With rare poise and clarity for a coach who has often made the news for saying the wrong thing, Redick instilled energy in the Lakers locker room.
“I don’t want to coach a good team,” Redick repeated rhythmically. “I don’t want to be a part of a good team. I want to be a part of a great team, and I believe this team can be great.”
Redick’s motivational words put fire in a once ice-cold Lakers squad. Despite a stop-and-go second half, the Lakers rallied to a dominant second half and a win. The Lakers caught fire from range, kept star player Trae Young frustrated, and outrebounded the Hawks frontcourt. With the win, they quietly improved to 20-14 — fourth in the West.
After the halftime talk, the halftime talk — not the Jovan Buha articles, nor the incoherent yells of the contradictory NBA fans on X, nor the vitriol Ham occasionally lobs from Milwaukee — helps Finney-Smith understand the Lakers as a coach. He understands that the team is still evolving, and although they’re far from a legitimate power, they’re not an utterly incompetent team like many media outlets imply.
Although he has made many errors as a rookie coach, he understands that Redick still learning the job has led the team to an advantageous position near the top of the West. He understands the aging James, the oft-injured Davis, and his young, ragtag rotation still have a competitive season or two until significant roster changes are needed. He understands that Redick and the Lakers are stumbling their way into building contenders.
It doesn’t mean he’ll stop reading The Athletic or delete X. But, he knows the game is won on the court — not in Bristol with ESPN, Atlanta with Inside the NBA, or over the internet. Finney-Smith, defensive ace and veteran presence knows he has a role to play.
“We’re back to playing some meaningful [playoff] basketball,” Finney-Smith told Los Angeles media upon arriving in L.A.. He didn’t know how true he was.
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