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Why it’s Anthony Davis, not LeBron James, who JJ Redick has to win over

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JJ Redick is believed to be one of the Lakers top head coaching candidates, and it’s becoming clear he’ll have to win over Anthony Davis, not LeBron James, if he wants the job.

The Los Angeles Lakers have a big decision to make in regards to their next head coach this offseason. After firing Darvin Ham, JJ Redick is believed to be a frontrunner for the gig, due in large part to his relationship with LeBron James. And while Redick’s friendship with James has received a ton of attention throughout this process, it may be Anthony Davis who holds the power in this situation.

Everyone knows that James and Redick are close, so chances are if that’s the route the Lakers want to go, James wouldn’t be opposed to it. With Davis, though, he doesn’t have the same relationship with Redick, and he’s likely going to be in Los Angeles longer than LeBron will be. So with that in mind, he may be the one Redick has to impress, rather than James.

“Listen, this is Anthony Davis’s team moving forward, he’s the one who’s 31 in the prime of his career. So how can, whether it’s JJ Redick or another coach, dictate how you’re going to revolve your game plan around Anthony Davis, I think that’s going to be an important part.” – Shams Charania, The Pat McAfee Show

Anthony Davis inadvertently set to play a big role in JJ Redick’s candidacy

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) warms up before game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.

There’s been a lot of attention surrounding the Lakers head coaching situation, because this is a huge offseason for them. Los Angeles obviously wants to keep James in town in an offseason where he could choose to hit free agency, so prioritizing his wants and needs in their head coaching search is obviously a good first step to take in their quest to keep him around.

On the other side of the equation, the Lakers can’t totally forget about Davis. He’s 31 years old, and is likely going to be sticking around on the Lakers for longer than James will be. While keeping LeBron happy is crucial, they also need to appease Davis too, because he’s probably going to play a bigger role in LA’s long-term future than James.

So while the Redick-LeBron relationship is drawing a bunch of attention, how Redick impresses Davis may actually be more important in this scenario. There are some legitimate questions surrounding Redick’s fit with the team, and if Davis doesn’t believe he’s cut out to lead their team, that could put the front office and upper management in a real bind.

Redick has already met with the Lakers, so it’s safe to say that they are interested in him, and it isn’t just a rumor at this point. And yet, Davis could end up being the guy who holds a sneaky amount of power in this situation. There are a lot of moving parts in the Lakers head coach search, but Davis could end up being the guy who holds all the cards, even if he isn’t being talked about all that much.

JJ Redick, LA Met for ‘Extended’ Interview amid LeBron James Buzz

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JJ Redick is reportedly viewed as the favorite to land the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coaching job after recently meeting with the team.

During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium said Redick and the Lakers met “for an extended period of time” last week:

Charania added that Redick was the first candidate to have a face-to-face meeting with the Lakers’ brass, and he gets the sense that Redick is the front-runner for the position.

The Lakers’ head coaching job became available earlier this month when Darvin Ham was fired after just two seasons with the team.

Following the decision to fire Ham after a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers moved quickly to compile a list of potential replacements.

Charania and Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported that Redick was among the early contenders, along with Boston Celtics assistant and three-time NBA championship-winning guard Sam Cassell and former Charlotte Hornets head coach and current New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego.

In one sense, Redick’s emergence as a candidate was surprising since he has no prior coaching experience, but there were also some significant links that made him stand out as a clear option.

Since Redick and LeBron are clearly aligned on that front, it stands to reason that James would give his blessing to the Lakers’ front office to hire Redick.

Also, Charania and Buha reported that legendary former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has been a “respected unofficial resource” in the Lakers’ head coach search.

Coach K was Redick’s coach for four seasons at Duke, and there is little doubt that he would give the Lakers a glowing recommendation when it comes to Redick’s viability as an NBA head coach.

The Lakers have typically turned to coaches with a significant amount of head coaching or assistant coaching experience at the NBA level.

Redick would be an obvious departure from that, but they may need to try something different given that they haven’t been to the NBA Finals since 2020 despite boasting the superstar duo of James and Anthony Davis.