Could J.J. Redick be the next head coach of the Lakers?

Could J.J. Redick be the next head coach of the Lakers?

After a disappointing first-round exit by the Los Angeles to the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles is likely seeing wholesale change entering this offseason.

The first domino to fall Friday was head coach Darvin Ham, who went 90-74 over the last two years, but has gotten eliminated by the juggernaut Nuggets twice. With that, there are going to be plenty of potential rumored candidates–possibly including Kenny Atkinson, Mike Budenholzer, Terry Stotts and perhaps Phil Handy, a prominent Lakers assistant.

But could J.J. Redick join the fold? One Lakers beat writer claims it’s not out of the realm.

“[J.J. Redick] is a real candidate if they open up this coaching search,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said on the Dan Patrick Show Thursday.

McMenamin also noted that Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, LeBron James’ former head coach in Cleveland, whom James wanted after Los Angeles canned Frank Vogel, could be a name to monitor. Whether or not James endorses the idea of Redick being a viable candidate, there’s no guarantee that he actually gets the gig, but it’s definitely worth considering given their relationship.

We’ve seen Redick interview for head coaching jobs with the Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets over the last year. We’ve seen Redick rapidly elevate through ESPN’s broadcasting totem pole, moving into the lead ESPN/ABC broadcasting slot alongside Doris Burke and Mike Breen. Oh, and he’s also started a new podcast with James, called Mind The Game , where he and James spew about basketball’s best X’s and O’s and coverage that traditional media doesn’t outline.

Considering Redick has no experience as a head coach at the professional level, I’m interested to see how he potentially flourishes in a coaching setting. In a Lakers context, however, the move is risky due to their heightened expectations the team has.

I didn’t think Ham was a good coach, but I also thought he largely wasn’t given enough spare parts to utilize throughout the majority of this tenure.

The clock is ticking on James’ career–heck, who knows if he’ll be coming back and for how much? Redick is intriguing, but the fit with another—more experienced— coaching voice is most likely the best option here.

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