Inexperienced JJ Redick Checks Every Box For Los Angeles Lakers

Ever heard of Bill Wyman? Guessing you haven’t.

Chances are you would have if he hadn’t spent three decades standing behind Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

Such is the plight of Jonathan Clay Redick.

Ever since his name emerged as a candidate for the Lakers’ coaching position, NBA fans have wanted to know more about him.

 Sure, he was a McDonald’s All-American Game MVP and Duke’s all-time scoring leader.

But he also was once labeled the “most hated current athlete in America” during his college days and later added to Duke’s legacy of disappointing pros when he averaged 9.2 points over seven seasons with a Magic team that had invested the No. 11 pick of the 2006 draft in him.

Redick eventually had a nice NBA career, averaging as many as 18.1 points for the 76ers in 2019. But he rarely got a chance to strut his generally unheralded stuff on the big stage as the Bucks, Clippers and 76ers - his employers from 2013-19 - never made it out of the second round of the playoffs.

Earlier this month, Redick finally got his shot at the bright lights. Only this time as a broadcaster.

Unfortunately, it came in the role of Wyman – fully prepared to play off the greatness of Mike Breen, but relegated to the third seat as Doris Burke often got first crack at the analysis.

So what did we learn about Redick as the Celtics dominated the NBA Finals? Very little.

We learned he had become the most likely to ascend to the throne as Lakers head coach, only to disappear into rumor oblivion as Dan Hurley got the big bucks thrown his way.

Alas, in a classic case of you can’t always get what you want, the man who has taken Connecticut to the top of the college basketball world said no. That handed the mic back to Redick for a second chance at a first impression.

Instead, we had to hear Burke explaining how Jayson Tatum was unselfishly doing all the little things … while leading the Celtics in shot attempts, 3-point misses and turnovers.

So while we didn’t really get to know Redick, what we did find out was there are some very qualified analysts out there who believe he’ll be great as LeBron’s new puppet.

Steve Kerr, who made a similar transition from TV commentator to first-time head coach, believes Redick could follow in his championship footsteps … if he hires the right assistant coaches.

And Doc Rivers, who coached the Magic into the postseason in three of his first four seasons, thinks a sharp guy like Redick could easily tame the Lakers’ wild horses with some bold new ideas, as Rivers did in Orlando.

Is there any reason to believe Redick couldn’t have the same level of early success as Ime Udoka enjoyed last season with the vastly improved Rockets and that Joe Mazzulla has had with the Celtics, Mark Daigneault with the Thunder and Chris Finch with the Timberwolves?

Or that the Lakers would be foolish to head down Retread Row as the Suns (Frank Vogel), Pistons (Monty Williams, Dwane Casey), Kings (Alvin Gentry), Pelicans (Stan Van Gundy), Hawks (Nate McMillan), Bucks (Mike Budenholzer) and Wizards (Scott Brooks) have done – and quickly regretted – in recent years?

Heck, the Lakers have been here before. They had a shot at Udoka, with no head-coaching experience, in 2019. Three years later, he coached the Celtics to the NBA Finals in his first season.

Instead, they went with Vogel, who did the seemingly impossible – he directed a LeBron-led team to a 49-loss season within three years.

Despite what you might not have heard on ABC, Redick checks almost every box. He’s thrilled fans at Duke, complemented superstar partners in the NBA, and said all the right things to impress some of the harshest critics in the world – TV executives.

All the boxes except one … head-coaching experience, for which Kerr has already recommended a solution.

He probably should have added: Just don’t hire Keith Richards.