"He's got shoes to fill"- Stephen A. Smith puts JJ Redick under spotlight by measuring him against Darvin Ham’s Lakers success
LA Lakers coach JJ Redick has made a strong impression in his rookie season. While his debut performance has been notable, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith is reserving judgment, waiting to see if he can emulate the success of his predecessor, Darvin Ham.
On Thursday's episode of "First Take," Smith asserted that while Redick is doing a good job, he still has big shoes to fill. Smith said that Ham set a high standard as he took the team to the Western Conference finals in his rookie year.
“With the job that JJ Redick has done, very meticulous, he’s doing the kind of job I expected him to do," Smith said. "But he’s got shoes to fill. We have to remember that Darvin Ham took this team in his rookie year as head coach to the Western Conference finals”
Through 50 games in their first seasons as LA's coach, Redick's 31-19 record has surpassed Ham's 23-27.
However, under Redick, the Lakers have struggled with consistency, particularly on the defensive end, where rebounding and rim protection have noticeably regressed. Their Wednesday home loss against the Charlotte Hornets was one of those cases.
JJ Redick reacts to Lakers tough home loss to Charlotte Hornets
JJ Redick was blunt in his assessment after his team's 100-97 defeat to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. While Redick praised LA's effort and competitive spirit, he criticized its offense.
"I thought our effort and competitive spirit was good enough to win," Reddick said in the postagame presser. "Just we were really poor offensively for 90 percent of the game."
The Lakers struggled with their shooting, making just 41.1% of their field goals and 29.4% of their 3-pointers. Luka Doncic and Rui Hachimura were particularly cold, combining to make just two of their 17 3-point attempts.
However, with just under two months left in the regular season, LA faces pressure to hold onto a top-six spot in the Western Conference. The Lakers are 2.5 games ahead of the seventh-place Minnesota Timberwolves and will face the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.