Dec 25, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick talks to media members before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

NBA Insider Predicts JJ Redick’s Future With Lakers Under New Owner Mark Walter

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Ricardo Klein | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 12:30 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers fell short of expectations last season, at least when it came to the expectations they were thrust upon prior to the start of the playoffs.

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The Lakers lost in five games ot the much younger and athletic Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a ba d matchup for the Lakers, and that was evident from the jump.

There are a ton of reasons why the Lakers fell short, but some point the blame on first-year head coach, JJ Redick. Redick made some questionable decisions throughout the series, including in Game 4, when he left the starters in for the entire second half.

Those are the growing pains of being a first-time head coach, but being the head coach for the Lakers is simply different. There is little to no room to grow, and the margin for error is insanely thin. Nonetheless, the Lakers are letting Redick have some growing pains.

The expectation is that he will only get better, as he proved many doubters wrong last season. Redick should be a lot better this upcoming season, but will he be good enough?

Austin Boyd of Heavy.com believes that if Redick flops in the playoffs again, his time in LA won't last long.

"The way he was able to figure out how to integrate Doncic into the lineup was also impressive. However, the concern with him is playoff performance. Redick is a relentless worker as a coach, but that could lead to overthinking in the playoffs. Unlike some other franchises, the Lakers’ success isn’t gauged by how they do in the regular season. A Lakers season is measured by whether they won a championship or not. Anything less is usually considered a failure. Redick isn’t even close to being on the hot seat yet, but his leash won’t be very long if Los Angeles flops in the playoffs again."

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The 40-year-old head coach led the Lakers to a stellar 50-32 record, which was good for third in the loaded Western Conference. However, success with the Lakers is measured in the playoffs.

A short-lived postseason is not in the Lakers vocabulary. Anything short of a championship is a failure for the Lakers, especially now that they possess a top-five player in the world in Luka Doncic.

The hope is that Redick learns from his shortcomings last season, and leads the Lakers to a deeper playoff run that leads to a title.

The front office loves Redick, and if he wants to stick around for the long haul, he'll need to make quite the impression on the new majority owner, Mark Walter.