The Lakeshow Review

Former Duke Blue Devils legend JJ Redick just completed his first season as Lakers head coach. There were some highs and lows, moments of brilliance and, well, moments of head scratching. 

Redick accepted the job after his brief stint as a podcaster post-retirement. A stint that included a partnership with LeBron James on the Mind The Game Podcast. Despite not bringing any coaching experience, at any level, it was presumed that Redick’s enthusiasm and appetite for the job would propel him to excel at the highest levels. The fact that he’d been podcast buddies with LeBron surely didn’t hurt. Through the offseason, the Lakers explored other options, namely UConn Men’s Basketball Head Coach Dan Hurley. Who famously (or infamously) spurned the Lakers in favor of an extension at this alma mater. Surprisingly, LA did not even take a look at candidates like Mike budenholzer, a proven champion and commodity, and seemed zeroed in on Redick after the brief Dan Hurley detour. Eventually, JJ got the gig, and certainly walked into a situation filled with pressure and expectations. 

Initially, JJ Redick faced some unique challenges after becoming the franchise’s 29th Head Coach. He pledged to establish Anthony Davis as the “offensive hub”, meaning he would be the prime focal point in the offense. More so than in years past. Perhaps signalling that LeBron James would no longer be the team’s main driving force offensively. He was also tasked with the development of young pieces such as Austin Reaves, and optimizing the fits of forward Rui Hachimura and guard D’Angelo Russell. Ultimately, Davis was traded (along with Max Christie) in exchange for Luka Dončić. I will say, during the season’s first half, AD was playing great basketball for the Lakers. He anchored the team’s defense, and helped propel the Lakers into the playoff picture since the start of the season. The 2025 Lakers were never underwater and maintained a respectable level of play all throughout. Unlike the last two seasons with Coach Darvin Ham, where the team had to claw its way into the playoffs. Much of that was due to AD’s stout two-way play, as he helped the team to an excellent 28-19 record before being traded in February. The team manned its pace after the Luka Dončić trade, and even finished with a top 3 seed heading onto the playoffs. D’Angelo Russell was also traded for Dorian Finney-Smith early in the season, which helped shore up the team’s defensive perimeter deficiencies. All in all, you have to give credit to JJ for keeping the team focused and maintaining a consistent pace, despite several in-season personnel changes. The team could have easily collapsed or dropped its pace, yet they managed to finish the year strong, with a 50-32 record (3 game improvement over last year) and a top 3 seed in the West Playoffs. 

Philosophically, JJ proved to be a complete 180 from Darvin Ham. He brought a “modernized” offensive approach, with the 5-out offense, which sought to optimize the skillsets of the team’s role players such as Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes. The latter of whom pleasantly surprised us all by manning the center position after the AD trade. Reaves in particular enjoyed a career year. Much of that a direct result of the team’s more offensive-centric approach, as well as strong mentorship from his head coach. Redick’s encouragement and belief in AR was crucial in him taking a substantial leap this season. For stretches during the season, AR was looking like a legitimate All-Star and his effect on the Lakers’ winning basketball should not be overlooked. Hachimura enjoyed a strong finish to the season and was a vital piece in the team’s floor spacing, and newcomer Dorian Finney-Smith also looked like a natural fit in JJ’s offense as a corner spot-up man. Even young journeyman Jaxson Hayes showed some flashes of brilliance. After a disappointing 2024 with the team, and frankly a disappointing career thus far, Hayes proved to be surprisingly productive in his limited minutes at center. He was excellent on the pick-and-roll as a screen-setter and roll-man, and even as an outlet man on short-roll situations. At least during the regular season, he looked like a respectable ball screen partner with Luka Dončić. JJ Redick deserves a healthy share of credit for all these things. Amidst roster turnover at multiple points during the season, he managed to keep the team locked in and got the most out of his players, regardless of the personnel. I’d say this was a decidedly positive aspect about JJ’s rookie coaching stint. 

The area where the team surprised the most was on the defensive end. Particularly after the AD trade, when the team lost its defensive anchor. JJ managed to successfully install a defense-by-committee approach which helped the team keeps its head above water on the defensive end, post-AD trade. The Lakers were able to swarm teams with their length on the perimeter, and against bigger teams, front the post via various zone schemes, which made entry passes difficult and discourage teams from posting up. Their frantic stunt-and-recover schemes proved successful in defending the three pointer, and being able to hold teams under their averages. For the team’s success in the regular season, JJ once again takes home a bulk of the credit. The fact that the defense did not fall apart at any point, particularly after so many roster moves, was quite miraculous. His defensive schemes proved clever and resourceful, and were a big reason why the team was able to keep winning. I was impressed at how he managed to maximize his personnels’ potential and get the most out of each and everyone in the rotation. 

Just like there was good, there was also not-so-good. The team seemed to perplexingly come out flat for certain games, and failed to display a level of consistency that in my opinion could be attributed to cockiness or over-confidence. Because of their star power, LA took certain games for granted. And at times endured rough stretches, where a humbling loss was needed in order to get the team to snap out of its funk. Most of these duds popped up shortly after the Luka trade. For instance, a 3-game skid to kick off a road trip in early March, the first one being the Celtics loss where LeBron sustained a groin injury. Then suddenly, after LeBron’s abrupt return to the lineup (he should’ve just taken the rest of the regular season off), the team dropped winnable home games against Chicago and Milwaukee. Then, perhaps the worst of all, a road loss to Chicago (again) where the team (mainly LeBron) did everything in their power to throw away the game. A true choking clinic. Lastly, a disappointing home loss to Golden State, when the no. 2 seed in the West was still in play. Overall, the team finished 7-7 after LeBron returned from injury. He could’ve used the rest. And perhaps allowed the rest of the team to develop some chemistry in his absence. Looking back, that was the stretch were the team began to show some cracks. Instead of roaring into the playoffs, the team merely strolled into them. With decent momentum, but not as much as you’d have liked. It’s times like these where one would like to see JJ step on the gas pedal and demand more out of the roster. 

LA’s unspectacular finish to the season did not spell the best vibes heading into the playoffs. The team came out flat in their round one opener against Minnesota, who ran them off their home floor. LeBron, in particular, looked gassed. A troubling sign considering it was only game 1. As I suggested, he should have rested after the Boston loss in order to optimize his physical condition for the playoffs. Perhaps JJ should’ve prioritized rest and building chemistry with Luka, Austin and Rui, as opposed to making sure LeBron got back on the court as soon as possible. Especially at his age, 40, it’s best to go easy with those matters. The team never quite regained its sterling defensive form it had displayed during the season, often breaking down defensively because of bad tactical decisions. Such as consistently helping off the strong side corner, lazy help defense, the refusal to start Jarred Vanderbilt and stick him on Anthony Edwards, or the neglecting of the center position and insistence on going small sans Jaxson Hayes. All off these decisions proved costly. For someone who looked energetic and willing to adapt during the regular season, JJ was quite the opposite come playoffs. The team went down without any significant adjustment, and with the conceited assumption that Minnesota would eventually come back down to earth. They never did. The series was played on their terms, and LA lacked the smarts and aggression to successfully counter Minnesota’s initial punch, eventually enduring the knockout blow after the Wolves vanquished them in 5 games on their home floor at Crypto.

It was a season of ups and downs. Roster turnover and injuries certainly played a role in defining the season’s outlook. Coach JJ Redick proved resourceful and capable of managing the grind of the 82-game season, with the occasional wart rearing its ugly head. Unfortunately, that resourcefulness didn’t exactly translate into the postseason. Experience and age took a hold, as Redick was outclassed by the more experienced Timberwolves staff, who were determined to establish their brand of physicality and aggression, which in turn, the Lakers failed to answer for. I can’t really fault JJ for these things, as experience usually wins out this time of the year. The one hope is that the right lessons will be learned. Adjustments, resilience and discipline are all things this team can bank on improving for next season. And yes, there’s always a next season, which always brings new hope and excitement. All in all, I’d say JJ Redick’s initial season as Lakers Head Coach was both encouraging and disappointing. Hopefully the bitterness of losing ignites the right mentality to bring forth next year, and perhaps the Lakers can continue to add the requisite pieces that maximize JJ’s coaching talents. Until then, we’ll have the offseason to mull things over. Let’s hope both the coaches and players are ready to continue building upon their foundation in prosperous ways.