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LOS ANGELES – As the Los Angeles Lakers prepared for their matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, the obvious topic on everybody’s mind was the Lakers’ recent bombshell trade for Luka Doncic. As Lakers’ head coach JJ Redick sat at the podium for his pregame press conference, he took a moment post trade to reflect on getting to coach Anthony Davis.
“It’s obviously a very tough decision,” Redick said. “AD in particular, someone that, for a superstar, just kind of embraced a first-year rookie head coach. And it was incredible to be able to work with him and see how he plays on a nightly basis.”
Earlier in the day during Luka Doncic’s introductory press conference, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka mentioned that the team roster was going to be constructed to fit JJ Redick’s vision, as per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
While a team’s general manager, and ultimately owner, have the final say on potential roster moves, it’s clear that they see Redick as a key decision-maker as well. It’s a role that, when Redick first interviewed for the job, was something that he envisioned if he did indeed become head coach.
“It’s something that we all talked about during the interview process, both with Rob and with Jeannie [Buss], and just understanding that for us as a Lakers organization to function at a high level, we needed to have alignment and synergy between ownership, the front office and coaching,” Redick said. “And that’s not say it’s always going to be perfect, and that’s not to say there’s not incredibly difficult decisions to make, but that has happened. And going forward, that certainly gives you confidence to coach.”
The Luka Doncic era begins for Lakers
While Doncic isn’t quite ready to make his Lakers debut yet, he was in attendance for the team’s matchup against the Clippers, a welcome sight for Lakers fans.
Doncic is still recovering from a calf injury he suffered back on Christmas Day against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he has not played since. But the Lakers are reportedly eyeing Saturday’s home game against the Indiana Pacers as a game that Doncic could make his debut in the purple and gold.
While there’s always an adjustment period for teams following a major trade, Redick is confident they can get James and Doncic to mesh together relatively fast.
“I’m confident that we can figure out how to blend their talents together in a positive way, in a very short amount of time,” Redick said.
The James and Doncic pairing gives the Lakers two very capable ball-handlers and playmakers, not to mention their scoring ability. Both of them are triple double threats on any given night. It’s a combination that Redick is excited to see on the court.
“You got two guys who have a high level of basketball intelligence, that I’m very confident whether it’s playing in a two-man game, a three-man game, playing minutes without each other, they’re going to be productive,” Redick said. “They’re going to excel. I think for both those guys, they have a killer’s mentality and that’s exciting.”
