The Los Angeles Lakers have taken a significant risk with their latest coaching choice.
They replaced Darvin Ham, who led the team to the Western Conference Finals two years ago, with Redick, who has no coaching experience.
Part of the appeal of the Redick job stems from his high basketball IQ and excellent communication abilities,
which he demonstrated during his brief but successful broadcast and multi-media career after retiring from the NBA.
During Redick's introduction press conference, Lakers vice president and general manager Rob Pelinka stated,
"I believe that communication and bringing the group together are at the core of really good coaching." "And there is no question unequivocally that JJ is an incredible communicator."
However, Redick's traits did not make the cut in the CBS NBA Coaches rankings.
The Lakers' rookie coach is ranked last out of the 30 NBA coaches for the upcoming season. Erik Spoelstra, the Miami Heat's Filipino-American coach, is on top.
"No, I am not prepared to offer a strong opinion on the coaching future of a podcaster," CBS' Sam Quinn stated in justifying the Lakers' coach ranking.
"There is simply insufficient evidence to make any meaningful conclusions here. Redick finishes last due to a lack of experience.
Redick's lack of NBA coaching expertise compelled the Lakers to surround him with experienced coaches.
The Lakers have surrounded Redick with former NBA head coaches Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks, as well as G League Coach of the Year Lindsey Harding.
Longtime NBA assistants Bob Beyer, Greg St. Jean, and Beau Levesque round out Redick's coaching staff in his first year on the job.