Statements
JJ Redick has officially taken on one of the most daunting jobs in the NBA.
No, it's not coaching the Lakers, although he did accept that position on Thursday with a four-year deal. The truly challenging task ahead is coaching LeBron James.
Coaching LeBron: A Unique Challenge
On the degree of difficulty scale, coaching LeBron ranks almost as high as "good luck" can get. Yes, LeBron is still a stunning talent, and coupled with Anthony Davis, he provides a significant chance at success. LeBron's high profile and basketball savant qualities are elements any budding head coach would crave to elevate the start of their career.
Additionally, coaching the Los Angeles Lakers is a big-time opportunity, one of only 30 such jobs on Earth, swathed in purple and gold, with all the prestige that comes with those storied colors. However, there's also the undeniable pressure to win. Today. Or rather, yesterday.
The Weight of Expectations
LeBron, with his exacting standards, frenetic drive, and ability to oscillate between affection and something akin to a freeze-out, can be as treacherous as he is remarkable to coach. Consider the coaching history that has surrounded LeBron’s awe-inspiring career. LeBron has had eight full-time head coaches.
Only two — Erik Spoelstra and Ty Lue — were not let go on his watch. Five coaches were fired, and Luke Walton "mutually parted ways" with the Lakers in 2019 before taking the job with the Kings.
King James wanted Spoelstra fired back in 2010 during his first year in Miami, a time when he realized not all basketball royalty can rule by decree. This instance showcased Pat Riley’s rare ability to say no to LeBron, highlighting the intangibles and troubles that can arise when the glitz and promise of a LeBron James team hit some kind of not-as-sexy reality.
The Spoelstra and Lue Cases
With Lue, he stepped into the fold after David Blatt, whom he was the top assistant coach to, got fired despite having a 30-11 record at the time of his dismissal in 2016. That team went on to win an NBA Championship.
It’s also worth noting that while Lue and Spoelstra both won titles with LeBron, a ring does not inoculate one against later being dealt a bad hand and being fired. Three years ago, Frank Vogel coached the Lakers to an NBA championship. Two seasons later, he was gone.
To say coaching LeBron James is a poisoned chalice would be disingenuous, lacking nuance, and ignorant of his greatness. But the job isn’t exactly a professional fountain of youth, either.
LeBron James can bring you glory, but he can also be challenging in the extreme. The point being: LeBron has power with front offices and locker rooms, and he’s not afraid to wield it. As with Jordan and Kobe, part of LeBron’s approach includes personality traits that could be seen as flaws if not for the greatness they help produce.
Such is the case with stars. They shine incandescently, but they can burn you up, too, if you don’t know how to navigate them.
The Current State of the Lakers
The Lakers just aren’t that good. The LeBron-AD tandem is not enough. For two consecutive years, they’ve been roundly dominated and sent home during the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets. LeBron will be 40 years old later this year, and the Western Conference that Redick will now be coaching in, with its immense pressure to succeed, looks unbelievably deep next season — maybe even 13 teams deep.
Los Angeles not making the playoffs in Redick’s first season is well within the realm of possibility. Does his podcast partnership with LeBron James protect him from the slings and arrows that can follow coaching an underwhelming LeBron James team?
Does he have the temperament — perhaps humility and media-management skills — to ride out the bad and bitter times before things turn? Does having been on TV for 15 seconds make him a lock to successfully navigate the strange and wondrous terrain surrounding LeBron James' teams? And can he actually coach?
Maybe, the answer to all those questions will be an emphatic yes. But Redick is about to test these questions, the ones that may define this new stage of his career, under the most challenging of situations: coaching LeBron James, where the stakes are high, and the problems that arise will almost certainly be laid at your feet.
Quotes
"good luck"
"mutually parted ways"
"rules by decree"