Magic Johnson shares why it’s ‘hard’ for J.J. Redick as first-year head coach: ‘Remember, he was criticizing guys’

Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson doesn’t think J.J. Redick’s first season as the head coach of the storied franchise will be smooth sailing.

“It’s hard to go from where he was to the coach now,” Johnson said of Redick. “Because remember, he was criticizing guys. Now, you gotta come and coach these guys that are in the NBA, in that locker room. So, he’s a very intelligent man — I give him that. He’s smart — he knows the game frontwards and backwards. Also, analytic-wise, he’s really intelligent, too. Now, can that transfer to the court, right? Can he now get the guys to play the way he wants ’em to play, have a great system on both ends — offense and defense — and can he make adjustments within the game. That’s gonna be the key for me, then I know if he’s a great coach. Because if a team goes on a run, can he make a adjustment to stop that run?”

Redick will get his first experience coaching at the NBA level as the head coach of the Lakers franchise. He didn’t even have to work his way up from a lower position in the league’s coaching ranks to get the job he has today, such as spending time as an assistant coach.

Not long after University of Connecticut’s men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley rejected a lucrative offer to become the team’s new head coach, Los Angeles pivoted to Redick. Hurley rejected the team’s offer in early June, and Redick was introduced as the Lakers’ head coach later that month.

Redick may not have an impressive amount of coaching experience under his belt, but what separates him from the majority of head coaches in the NBA is his lengthy experience playing in the league. He played in the NBA for 15 seasons, and maybe that fact will help him relate to his players better than a head coach who’s never played at the highest level.

But Redick will ostensibly have plenty of pressure and expectations to deal with in his first season leading the team from the sidelines, seeing as the Lakers are in win-now mode. LeBron James, arguably their best player, is in the twilight of his NBA career at this juncture, as he is only a few months away from his 40th birthday.

In addition, James has played more than 20 seasons in the NBA, so the jury is out on exactly how much longer he will compete in the league before he decides to retire.

A solid preseason stint could help get the Lakers on the right path toward a successful 2024-25 regular season, and Los Angeles’ preseason opener isn’t far away on the calendar. On Oct. 4 — less than one week from now — the Lakers will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in an exhibition game at Acrisure Arena.