NBA insider reports 'passionate' Lakers HC JJ Redick has broken 'a number of clipboards' 8 games into the season
Rookie coach JJ Redick's Lakers tenure has seen many ups and downs. LA began the season looking like a legitimate threat after a 3-0 start. That fizzled out quickly as the team set off for a five-game road trip, where it endured a 1-4 run. The Lakers dropped to 1-4, and Redick's frustrations have been displayed.
The 40-year-old has preached organization and attention to detail as the key pillars of his coaching style. Still, the Lakers haven't done their best to execute Redick's plans on their road trip, suffering multiple blowout losses.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Redick is breaking several clipboards already eight games into the season.
"There have been a number of clipboards broken over the first month of JJ Redick as head coach of the Lakers," said Charania on Friday. "He's supremely passionate and that's palpable within the roster about how badly he wants to win."
Despite naysayers saying the Lakers didn't have the apt roster to make a championship run, JJ Redick believed in the team. He spoke highly of many role players, but only some have stepped up, namely Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.
The rest of them have all had subpar starts, and that's held back the Lakers.
JJ Redick has circled June 5th on his calendar as he aims finals run with LA
JJ Redick has high ambitions for his debut coaching season. With stars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis at his disposal, Redick has circled June 5th on his calendar. That's Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals. He believes that's the team's ceiling if their effort and attention to detail are consistently top-notch.
"What's a realistic expectation for this group? No major offseason moves, you got the 30th best coach in the NBA," Redick said during his induction with the Lakers team on Media Day. "We have to become a process-oriented team. Where every day we come in here, the work matters, the details matter."
"But I will say this, every year, schedule comes out, we all look at the dates, there's one f**king date that I circled and that's June 5th."
The Lakers showed a ton of promise in their first three games with the current roster. However, they rode behind monumental efforts from Anthony Davis alone, with a few handy contributions from LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.
The Lakers bench production is the worst in the NBA. The consensus suggests that coaching alone won't help the team make a deep playoff run. To improve their performance, the team must add more depth with efficient two-way players.