Lakers’ Jeanie Buss Confesses She Had Doubts About JJ Redick

The Los Angeles Lakers made a massive swing this past offseason when they hired first-time head coach JJ Redick .

The Lakers fired Darvin Ham after being defeated by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, and Redick was brought in to right the ship.

Many were confused by the Lakers unconventional route.

Why would a team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis be guided by someone with no prior coaching experience? So far, Redick has the Lakers as the fourth seed in the Western Conference.

If things pan out, L.A.

could go as high as the No.

2 seed, Very few, perhaps not even their governor Jeanie Buss, would have thought that at the start of the season.

Lakers Jeanie Buss Confesses She Had Doubts About Bringing in JJ Redick Buss admitted that she had concerns about Redick as a coach.

I was worried about hiring a rookie coach, Buss said .

This team is so important to this community, and to bring in a rookie coach that had no experience before, that was a big leap.

But I knew that [Redick and Pelinka] would work well together, and I love watching the progress that theyre making.

Jeanie has had a tough time as governor, more times than not.

There was that stretch in the mid-2010s when the Lakers were among the worst teams in the league.

Because of that, they saw a ton of turnover, especially in the coaching department.

The Lakers went through five head coaches in the span of 10 seasons.

The Lakers and Buss hope that Redick is here to stay for the long run alongside their newest superstar, Luka Doncic .

Now people are signing Redicks praises, although that was not the case beforehand.

The Dan Hurley Decable In June 2024, it appeared that the Lakers had pivoted away from Redick as a new favorite emerged: Dan Hurley .

Hurley had just led his UConn Huskies to their second consecutive NCAA title.

Hurleys name came out of nowhere.

All signs pointed to Redick as the next head coach for L.A., but Hurley stole all the headlines.

Redick was part of the 2024 NBA Finals broadcast team in the meantime.

Hurley became the favorite over Redick and former Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego.

While that was the case, Hurley rejected the Lakers to go back to UConn to pursue a third consecutive NCAA title.

At the time, failing to land Hurley was a complete failure for L.A.

On the outside looking in, they settled for a former player turned podcaster.

Almost a year later, the Lakers have firmly established themselves as a legitimate title contender.

This is especially true after the blockbuster acquisition of international superstar Luka Doncic.

With Doncic in the fold, the Lakers are back in the national spotlight, and the excitement surrounding this team has only grown.

In the end, Redick has emerged as the true winner in this situation.

He has earned the trust of the team and its passionate fan base, and his coaching has been instrumental in the Lakers success.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission..

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