In 2015, Steve Kerr had quite a bit in common with JJ Redick today. Though he had front office experience with the Phoenix Suns, the bulk of Kerr’s post-playing career had been spent in the broadcast booth. That didn’t prevent him from becoming the top coaching candidate of that cycle, and he was ultimately offered two jobs despite no experience as a head or assistant coach at any level. One belonged to the Golden State Warriors. The other belonged to the New York Knicks. We obviously know how well it turned out for Kerr in the Bay Area. Derek Fisher, another no-experience coach, took the Knicks job and lasted less than two years.
Is Kerr a better coach than Fisher? Probably. But if Kerr had taken the Knicks job, it’s safe to say he wouldn’t be on a Hall of Fame coaching trajectory either. As much importance as we assign to coaching hires, they ultimately don’t matter if the team in question can’t get the roster right. Redick’s success in Los Angeles, first and foremost, is going to come down to the group of players that Rob Pelinka and his front office manage to provide.
So what kind of offseason is in store for the Lakers? Well, The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Sam Amick and Jovan Buha offered insight into their plans, though somewhat indirectly. In their story on Redick’s hiring, they put the following nuggets of information out:
The development of Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Max Christie is a priority. This was reported across several outlets during the team’s pursuit of Dan Hurley as well.Redick plans to involve Anthony Davis more in the offense, particularly late in games.Alleviating the ball-handling duties LeBron James is currently responsible for, provided he stays, is a major goal. The Lakers want to keep him fresh going into the playoffs.
OK, so what can we take from all of this? It’s hard to say for certain, but we can start with a rumor that a player himself generated. Soon after Redick was hired, Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young tweeted an hourglass. Young’s fit makes sense based on several of these criteria. At the…
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