The Sophomore Test: Top 3 Challenges for JJ Redick’s Year 2

When JJ Redick was hired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers last summer, a lot of people were quick to judge him. Even Redick addressed the fact that he has no experience and is a former podcaster during his first introductory press conference. Safe to say, he did well in his first season. Redick guided the team to 50 wins, the third seed in the Western Conference, but lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. We often say that the sophomore year is more challenging for players, and the same applies to coaches as well. Even worse, JJ Redick will face plenty of challenges in his second year that were not his fault.

The Sophomore Test: Top 3 Challenges for JJ Redick’s Year 2

The Starting Lineup

When he was first hired by the Lakers, Redick revealed his starting lineup in a podcast even before training camp. This time around, that has not been the case. He and his coaching staff will have to do plenty of work during camp to find a lineup that works and a rotation that satisfies everyone.

There are three locks for the starting lineup: LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Deandre Ayton. But the two remaining spots can be quite interesting. Will Redick start Austin Reaves for more playmaking, or will he opt for more shooting and defense alongside Luka? With LeBron and Luka, there is plenty of playmaking, and starting Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart will give them a great defensive unit. That way, Reaves can run the offense for the second unit. Last season, Reaves started all of the games he played. Will he accept a bench role?

Finding Rotation Minutes for Everyone

The Lakers are positioned to have enormous cap space this summer, with several players on expiring contracts. That is great for the organization when it comes to having flexibility, but it is a nightmare for a coach. How does Redick handle players like Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber? Even LeBron is on an expiring contract. The coaching staff will have to find minutes for everyone in the rotation.

Smart and Ayton were signed after being waived by their previous teams. Their goal is to raise their value this season and then look for a wealthier contract next summer. The guard rotation will be the biggest challenge for Redick, where he has to fit in minutes for Vincent, Reaves, Luka, Smart, and then possibly second-year players like Dalton Knecht and Bronny James. Knecht, at this point, is a trade asset, but his value is very low. The only way to raise his value is to play him and give him open looks to raise his three-point percentage.

Higher Expectations

When you trade for a guy like Doncic, you want to compete. In year two of his coaching career, JJ Redick will have a full training camp to figure out how to best use Luka. Doncic is coming into shape, focused, engaged, and ready to prove he is still a top-five player.

But the higher expectations mean Redick cannot afford to lose winnable games. We saw how Luka carried the Slovenian national team on his back during the FIBA EuroBasket 2025. He played with G League level talent, yet he managed to get them to the Top 8. The Slovenian star spent the summer working on his body and conditioning.

To put even more pressure on the Lakers, they are the only team with two top-10 players, according to the latest ESPN rankings. There were plenty of talk about how the Lakers couldn’t win with two top-10 players before, when they had Anthony Davis and LeBron. But Luke is a legitimate MVP candidate, and the pressure will be on Redick to win. The Lakers clearly believe in him and gave him a contract extension. It is on him to prove it.