The Los Angeles Lakers’ search for their next head coach is starting to inch forward. They apparently have plans to interview several candidates, and a couple of new ones, such as Boston Celtics assistant Sam Cassell and Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn, have reportedly been added to their list in recent days.
But the one candidate people are talking about the most is JJ Redick. An outstanding 3-point specialist during his 15-season playing career, Redick seems to have a sharp mind for the game, but he has virtually no coaching experience of any kind.
Today, he is best known as an ESPN commentator and, of course, LeBron James’ co-host on the “Mind the Game” podcast.
Jovan Buha, who covers the Lakers for The Athletic, said that he believes Redick is a slight favorite to be named the team’s next head coach, at least right now (h/t Heavy).
“I said last week in my mailbag that if I had to pick the candidate most likely to get the head coaching position, I would pick Redick. I stand by that; I still think he is the slight favorite among the candidate pool,” said Buha.
“That could always change during the interview process. Maybe someone really impresses the Lakers and takes that designation from him. But right now I believe Redick is slightly ahead of the field. And if I was asked the question again today who the most likely hire is, I would pick Redick again.”
The Lakers reportedly prefer a head coach who has some experience. However, most of their candidates have never been a head coach before, so perhaps prior experience isn’t going to be much of a requirement during their search.
