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JJ Redick Takes Dig at Ex-Lakers Coach Darvin Ham’s Random Offense Strategy While Weighing in ‘Movement and Cutting’
Current LA coach JJ Redick offered an honest opinion on the team's offense last season, criticizing Darvin Ham for the ‘random’ strategy. Read on to know more.
During the Summer League game on Friday night between the Lakers and the Houston Rockets, new LA head coach JJ Redick shared his plans for the Lakers' 2024-25 NBA season. He also commented on something he noticed during Ham’s last season with the team.
“One thing we worked on was an early on system. One thing last year was they played random," said coach Redick on a recent ESPN broadcast. "When they played sets, they had a higher efficiency. We have LeBron/AD, but we are gonna play with more movement and cutting,” he said.
Since taking over, JJ has suggested several changes within the team, indirectly questioning Darvin Ham's effectiveness. Though Redick didn't mention Ham by name, his comment about the lack of a set offense clearly criticizes the former head coach.
JJ Redick talks about Anthony Davis’s role in the Lakers' offense next season
Earlier, JJ Redick called Anthony Davis the "hub" of the Lakers offense for the upcoming season. In a recent interview with the Washington Post, he emphasized Davis’s central role in their offensive plans.
Redick said that Davis is going to be featured on offense no matter what. He’s going to have the ball. Redick mentioned how they have talked about him being an offensive hub for the team. Not paying head to other’s comments, JJ mentioned to him, that Davis’ real value is just being Anthony Davis and the fact that he’s an elite two-way player.
Davis is coming off an impressive season, averaging 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 1.2 steals on 55.6 percent shooting. As LA aims for another title in the AD-LeBron James era, it will be interesting to see how their offense evolves under JJ Redick’s leadership.
Can JJ Redick quickly adapt for a Lakers team running out of time?
At the very least, JJ Redick has LeBron James’s support. They showed that they can align well in their approach to the game, during their brief collab on the Mind The Game podcast. James admires Redick’s knowledge, and Redick, with his hard work and dedication, aims to perfect his craft.
Most importantly, Redick feels he definitely belongs in this role and will fight to keep it.
“The other is in my retirement, I realize what gives me fulfillment and what gives me drive and motivation, and that's competition. That's performance. That's collaboration, being part of a team. I certainly felt all of that doing media,” Redick added.
JJ Redick isn’t the first retired sharpshooter to jump from commentary to head coaching for a competitive Western Conference team. The question is whether Redick can have an impact similar to Steve Kerr’s transformation of the Golden State Warriors in 2014.
In 2014, the Warriors didn't make major free agency moves. They kept their core players and revamped their tactics, turning from a first-round exit team to champions. However, this might be a big challenge for the Lakers.
For one, LeBron James will turn 40 in December. On the other hand, the Lakers might not have enough 3-and-D players needed to win four playoff rounds. As seen with the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, an elite perimeter defense with versatile players is crucial. The Lakers may fall short in this area.
However, there is still time for the Lakers to acquire players to fill this gap. They might be better off trading for a 3-and-D wing with size, like De'Andre Hunter or Dorian Finney-Smith.
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