Hernández: Lakers find an identity, forged by a true leader in JJ Redick

[ad_1]

Almost 60 games into his first season as coach, JJ Redick has the Lakers in the top four in the Western Conference. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The Lakers have found their leader.

After Mike Brown and Mike D’Antonio, after Byron Scott and Luke Walton, after Frank Vogel and Darvin Ham, they have found their leader.

The revolving door to the coach’s office has finally stopped. JJ Redick is what the Lakers hoped he would be, and maybe even more.

The Lakers improved to 37-21 on Friday night with a 106-102 victory over the Clippers at Imaginary-Money-dot-com Arena, but this isn’t just about their record.

They’re in fourth place in the Western Conference and are positioned to move into second before the end of the regular season, but this isn’t just about their place in the standings.

This is about how they play. This is about culture.

Read more: Lakers hold off Clippers after Austin Reaves injures calf

The players are buying what their rookie coach is selling, and, suddenly, the Lakers are playing better defense than any team in the NBA.

Who would have imagined, the Lakers holding their last six opponents to 102 or fewer points in the wake of parting ways with their two best defenders in the Luka Doncic trade.

“That’s just us,” LeBron James said. “I mean, it’s who we are at this point.”

Redick has jolted the Lakers the way Sean McVay did the Rams. Redick has made the Lakers a reflection of his personality the way Jim Harbaugh did with the Chargers.

Almost 60 games into Redick’s first season, the Lakers know who they are, and how often has that been said about them in the post-Phil Jackson years?

There was no guarantee Redick would be any different than Ham or Walton, the two other rookie coaches the Lakers hired in recent years.

Redick’s appointment invited skepticism, and rightly so. Redick wasn’t Dan Hurley, whom the Lakers wanted to hire. Redick had no coaching or management experience above the youth level. He was smug in a way that frauds often are, and he was stuck with basically the same roster that sank Ham. He looked like a Hail Mary.

Well, the Lakers’ prayers were answered, as…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/hern-ndez-lakers-identity-forged-094602815.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2025-03-01 09:46:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.