"He’s like a Kobe" - Lil Wayne endorses JJ Redick's appointment, compares him to greatest ever Laker
JJ Redick is going to be the head coach of arguably the greatest team in NBA history. After being appointed as the head coach of the LA Lakers there are questions on his ability to coach the team, especially because he has no prior experience. However, rapper and Lakers faithful Lil Wayne isn’t too worried about Redick’s coaching his favorite team.
In a conversation with Skip Bayless on FS1 ‘Undisputed’, the American rapper compared the newly appointed coach and the former NBA player to the likes of Michael Jordan and Lakers favorite Kobe Bryant. Wayne said that he had full trust in Redick.
“If you know anything about JJ is, he is a competitor…like Jordan. Also what I know about JJ is he is super prepared. He is like Kobe Bryant…He prepares like crazy…Anything he approaches, he approaches it the proper way, the appropriate way so I have full trust in him, Wayne said.
The ‘Hustler Musik’ singer also said that the former NBA player is mindful of things that the media says about him and he will have a response to that.
“That’s the best part about it because one thing I know about JJ is he is mindful, mindful of what we are saying. He is mindful of the fact that everybody keeps saying that he has no coaching experience in the fourth grade and all that stuff, he is mindful of that,” said Lil Wayne.
“There are certain people that you can put a chip on their shoulder and it doesn’t matter…[JJ Redick] will turn that chip on his shoulder into a mountain and climb it.”
JJ Redick understands the game at a higher level which could immensely help the Lakers. However, every rookie coach needs a veteran coach at the assistant's slot to help the coach transition into the new role and the team will have to hire someone to help Redick.
JJ Redick reportedly wants to keep LeBron James off the ball to keep him fresh
The Lakers' decision to hire JJ Redick as their next head coach came as a surprise to many. However, according to Redick's proposal during the interview with the Lakers, things could loom promising for the team.
According to 'The Athletic, during the interview, Redick proposed that he wants to increase Anthony Davis' role late in the game and play LeBron James off the ball.
"JJ Redick described a system molded around this roster, focusing on elevating Anthony Davis’ involvement, particularly late in games, and alleviating the constant ballhandling duties on James by utilizing him more off the ball. Keeping James, who turns 40 in December, fresh down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs will be critical.
If the Lakers go ahead with Redick's idea for the next season, they will need an All-Atar-level ball handler who could score and feed the players at a high level.
Moreover, the Lakers have also offered JJ Redick a four-year contract. It is obvious that he also has the responsibility to develop the young core while the team searches for another championship with James on the roster.