JJ Redick Reacts To NBA GM Survey, Lakers’ ‘Tough To Predict’ Success
NBA general managers voted the Lakers as having one of the toughest levels of success to predict this season, in the annual GM survey.
That’s what happens when arguably the greatest player in the history of the game leaves in free agency and you add nine new players to your 15-man roster.
But JJ Redick, entering his third season as head coach, doesn’t seem to care.
“First of all, I would say predictions don’t mean anything,” Redick said Tuesday. “It’s a fun exercise for all of you to do, and I get why you do it.”
“I did a podcast three times a week, so I would get excited about doing a Western Conference preview. So I get why people do it.”
The ranking isn’t necessarily a negative for the Lakers either. The 76ers ranked first with 27% of the votes and are considered to be a top contender after adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in the offseason. The Timberwolves, also a top team in the West, are second with 17% of the votes. The Lakers tied with the Jazz with 13% of the votes.
Can the Lakers win a championship this season?
The Lakers enter the season as the ninth overall favorite to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy, according to Fanatics Markets, and third overall to win the Western Conference. Fanatics Markets also gives LA a 73% chance to have 45+ wins and 54% chance to have 50+ wins as of Wednesday morning.
For reference, the Lakers finished 53-29 last season, fourth in the Western Conference. Redick became the first Lakers coach to have back-to-back 50-win seasons since Phil Jackson.
While predictions might be hard for a Lakers team that lost all five starters of its starters from its playoff series win over the Rockets— a first in NBA history— Redick understands what is needed out of the Lakers to contend.
“Every time we step on the floor, the expectation is you’re going to compete to win, and you’re going to try to win a basketball game, and you’re going to do it to our standards,” Redick said. “The guys understand that.”
What is hard to predict for Redick is how the Lakers respond to the inevitable ups-and-downs of an 82-game season.
“When I predict what this team could become… the biggest unknown to me is how this team deals with adversity,” Redick said. “And that’s different for every team and that’s different maybe, how we deal with adversity in November versus how we deal with adversity in March. Hopefully there’s growth throughout the season so that we can deal with adversity in the right way and that ultimately would prepare us for a deep playoff run.”
Success for the Lakers also hinges on Walker Kessler fitting into the role as the team’s defensive anchor and a pick-and-roll lob threat for Luka Dončić.
Oct 13, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick looks on against the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
What is JJ Redick’s media history?
Redick can be viewed as a pioneer of sorts for the modern NBA player: he was the first active NBA player to host a podcast in 2016, started his own media company, ThreeFourTwo Productions, in 2020 and became an ESPN NBA analyst after wrapping up his 15-year playing career in 2021. Redick also hosted Mind the Game with LeBron James up until being announced as Lakers head coach on June 24, 2024.
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Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.