NBA insider claims JJ Redick seemingly drew inspiration from former Lakers coaching candidate's play to ignite his career in LA
The LA Lakers officially kicked off the JJ Redick era with their first preseason game on Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. A fan noted that the Lakers’ first play resembled one of UConn coach Dan Hurley’s signature plays, who had been considered for the Lakers’ head coaching position before Redick was chosen.
X (formerly Twitter) user @HalfCourtHoops pointed out that the Lakers' opening play came from Hurley’s horns skip set. However, after a series of passes and high splits, it resulted in Rui Hachimura missing a 3-pointer. This was quote tweeted by NBA insider Kevin O' Connor who also pointed out the play was right out of Hurley's "playbook."
Watch the play below.
JJ Redick previously praised Hurley's play on his podcast
JJ Redick had previously praised Hurley’s play on an episode of his podcast, “The Old Man and the Three,” which featured the UConn coach. He noted that it works well when there are two non-shooters on the floor.
“There's a specific play, and again, college rules are different than the NBA rules, but in some ways, they mirror FIBA a little bit…and a lot of times, when you have a big guy that can't shoot or in college, not so much in the NBA anymore, there might be a second guy on the floor that's a non-shooter. Their defender will just sit in the paint,” Redick told Hurley.
Redick then jokingly asked where Hurley got the play as he was impressed by it.
“There's a play you guys have where you run a skip pass to the big, and then you get into a series of high splits. Sometimes it's a ghost screen for a dunk, or you get to a 3-point or either on a D-H-O or a catch-and-shoot. Where did the f**k did you steal that play?” Redick said.
JJ Redick and Dan Hurley were finalists for Lakers coaching job
Before JJ Redick was named head coach of the Lakers, both his and Dan Hurley’s names were frequently mentioned in the coaching search.
Despite the Lakers’ reported efforts to lure Hurley, the UConn coach opted to stay with his current team, signing a lucrative six-year, $70 million contract.
This left the Lakers to hire JJ Redick, a close friend of LeBron James and a former NBA player.
Though Redick lacks Hurley’s coaching accolades, he’s been praised for his basketball IQ, something evident in his Mind the Game podcast episodes with James.
Meanwhile, Hurley's name came up as he transformed the UConn basketball program into a national powerhouse. He has led the team to back-to-back national championships and holds a 141-58 record over six seasons.
Under Hurley’s leadership, UConn has made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including consecutive national titles in 2023 and 2024. The 2023-24 season was particularly historic, with UConn finishing 37-3 and setting an NCAA record by winning the tournament by a combined 140 points.
Hurley was named both the 2024 BIG EAST Coach of the Year and the Naismith College Coach of the Year, with an overall record at UConn of 141-58 (.709) and an 8-4 record in the NCAA Tournament.