Apr 27, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick reacts to his team losing the lead to the Minnesota Timberwolves late in the fourth quarter during game four of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Lakers Called Out for 'Unnecessary' JJ Redick Decision

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Sep 27, 2025 8:00 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers made the decision to hire JJ Redick after firing Darvin Ham. They believed that he brought something to the table that other candidates did not.

Redick ended up leading the Lakers to the third seed in the Western Conference in his first year as a head coach, although they did get eliminated in five games during the first round of the playoffs.

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Los Angeles made the decision to give Redick a contract extension after just one year with the franchise, and one NBA pundit is not a fan of the decision.

NBA pundit not a fan of the Lakers giving JJ Redick a contract extension

Sam Amico of Hoops Wire doesn't like that the Lakers were so hasty to give Redick an extension. He believes that Redick's performance as a coach in the playoffs doesn't deserve an extension yet.

"And while a 50-win rookie season on the sideline isn’t nothing, it ended with an exit in Round 1," Amico writes. "Redick’s rotations in that Timberwolves series were widely questioned — including the infamous Game 4, when he stuck with the same five players for the entire second half. ESPN noted no coach had tried that in at least 25 years. The Lakers blew the lead and lost."

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Amico notes that while Redick might become a great coach someday, they didn't need to rush this decision.

"Maybe Redick becomes elite," Amico riffs. "Maybe this all looks wise in a few years. But right now, it reads like a franchise betting on stability for stability’s sake."

NBA pundit doesn't believe that the Lakers should have kept flexibility

Amico thinks that the Lakers would have been better off keeping some flexibility instead of locking him up long-term.

"Meanwhile, LeBron James turns 41 in December and is showing the first signs of slippage," Amico observes. "His farewell tour is coming. Instead of keeping flexibility, the Lakers are doubling down on a coach who has yet to win a playoff series."

The Lakers seem to like what Redick gives the team, even if his first playoff run was less than ideal. They are betting on his potential and the fact that James respects him as a basketball mind.