Statements
JJ Redick has just taken on one of the most daunting jobs in the NBA. It's official.
Not coaching the Lakers, though that is indeed a job he accepted on Thursday with a four-year deal. No, the truly challenging job Redick faces is coaching LeBron James.
The Challenge of Coaching LeBron James
On the degree of difficulty scale, that responsibility ranks almost as high as "good luck" can get. Yes, LeBron is still a stunning talent, and coupled with Anthony Davis, he provides a chance at success. Yes, LeBron's high profile and basketball savant qualities are elements any budding head coach would crave to elevate the start of their career. And yes, coaching the Los Angeles Lakers is a big-time opportunity, one of only 30 such jobs on Earth, wrapped in purple and gold, and all the prestige that comes with those storied colors.
But there's also the undeniable pressure to win. Today. Or rather, yesterday. 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.
A Brief History of LeBron’s Coaches
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 tell LeBron no, 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.
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.
The Double-Edged Sword of Coaching Greatness
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 Reality of the Lakers' Current Situation
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?
Questions and Uncertainties
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 those 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"