All and all JJ Redick’s first season as a head coach at any level was quite a success when you pit everything together. However, in Los Angeles, championships are the expectation and anything less than that is a failure in the eyes of Lakers fans.
L.A. finished the regular season as the third best team in the Western Conference, yet, when it comes to the playoffs, it’s very matchup-oriented and Redick was outcoached by Chris Finch of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Lakers players were outplayed by Minnesota’s talent.
Despite entering the first round as the betting favorite, the Lakers lost in five games to Minnesota to be eliminated from the postseason, which will be a prime learning experience for Redick and his staff.
Nonetheless, that staff is having some changes made. After Redick highlighted that the team has to be in “championship shape,” next season and moving forward, the Lakers have decided to go out on a limb and post an open job listing for a head strength and condition coach, as much of the focus centers around their franchise player Luka Doncic, who has been critiqued a lot throughout his career for not being in “basketball shape.”
The listed salary range of $200,000 to $250,000 for the position quickly caught the attention of NBA fans, many of whom questioned why the Lakers would post the job opening on a public employment site.
“They should just pay Bron to do it. His physic and sustainability is unmatched,” a fan said.
“Should be a 250,000 bonus attached if they can get Luka into A+ shape,” another fan posted.
“That’s not enough money to be living in LA it’s just not lol. Bro needs atleast half a million,” someone else added.
One more fan commented, “Luka PEAK SHAPE coming up!”
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick.
© Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Redick’s coaching tendencies have been widely praised during his first year, and it appears that both general manager Rob Pelinka and Luka Doncic—whose support is crucial to the franchise’s future—are fully on board with his impact as head coach of the Lakers, one of the most iconic brands in all of sports.
“I think he’s a hell of a coach,” Doncic said. “Not many coaches do the stuff he did in his first year, his rookie year or however you want to say it. So I’m really glad I got to be coached by him these couple of months. I feel sometimes like I’m back in Europe a little bit, so I love it. We have a great bond. It’s been nothing but amazing with him as a coach.”