The Los Angeles Lakers stuck by head coach JJ Redick after a disastrous first playoff series, and that looks genius as the 41-year-old is pulling all the right strings in the domination of the Houston Rockets. The Lakers are up 3-0 without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. LeBron James has been outstanding and has made the Lakers' offseason choice easy. Beyond that, Redick deserves plenty of credit for maximizing his roster and getting the most out of his players.
One year ago, Redick didn’t make a substitution in the second half of Game 4 against the Timberwolves. He stuck by the decision after the fourth quarter collapse, but there were plenty of critics. Magic Johnson was unsurprisingly one of the loudest. It wasn’t just that contest. The Lakers lost that series in five games, despite being the higher seed. Many were wondering if the first-time head coach was just a repeat of the disastrous Darvin Ham move throughout that series.
The Lakers doubled down by extending Redick in the offseason. They showed faith in the young head coach, and Redick is rewarding them handsomely. The 15-year NBA veteran isn’t just maximizing Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard. He’s even nailing the smallest of moves.
JJ Redick is repaying the Lakers' faith by destroying the Rockets
Redick has proven to be flexible and is putting his players in the best spots to succeed. He trusted backup big man Jaxson Hayes down the stretch of Game 3, but made a wise move to start overtime to try to get the Lakers an extra possession.
Here's an example of JJ Redick being detail-oriented during the playoffs. In Gm 3, Jaxson Hayes was in at the end of the 4th Q and made a crucial stop on Alperen Sengun. To start OT, Redick subbed Deandre Ayton back in for Hayes. Why? "DA's been elite at winning the opening tip"
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 25, 2026
Redick only trusted five players last year in that crucial second half, but things quickly changed. He used Bronny in each of the first three contests as his ninth man. Redick even gave LeBron’s son second-half minutes after he earned them in Game 3. He is demanding a lot from his players, but they are delivering. That is what an elite head coach does. They make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. Redick has done that in this series.
Nobody gave the Lakers a chance when Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were injured in the same game. The purple and gold were supposed to be bounced in the first round of the playoffs without their two leading scorers. It would have been easy for Redick to lose the rope, but he has kept the team together beautifully. They are fighting for every point and have shown no signs of quitting. LA even made an improbable comeback after being down six in the final 30 seconds of Game 3.
Several teams would have moved on after last year’s disaster. The Suns fired their head coach three years in a row after falling short of expectations. Los Angeles dumped Darvin Ham after two years, despite him leading them to the conference finals in the first season. It is easy to scapegoat the head coach and make a change when there is fan backlash. The Lakers stayed the course with Redick, and are being rewarded in this domination against the Rockets.
JJ Redick won 103 regular-season games in his first two years as the Los Angeles Lakers head coach. Now, he is on the verge of winning his first playoff series. It is only because Rob Pelinka and the front office stayed the course and believed in him. Now, the Lakers are reaping the benefits.