JJ Redick had at all times fought.
He fought the jeers ACC crowds poured onto him whereas he turned among the finest — and most hated — gamers in faculty basketball historical past.
He fought the concept his sport wouldn’t translate to the professionals, that the early-season struggles weren’t going to be indicative of who he may turn out to be. He fought to turn out to be among the finest position gamers within the league, after which fought in opposition to time and an growing older physique to remain there.
In retirement from the game, he fought in opposition to complacency. He stayed busy as a podcaster, an entrepreneur and a broadcaster.
Lakers coach JJ Redick appears to be like up the court docket towards ahead LeBron James through the group’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday at Crypto.com Enviornment.
(Eric Thayer / Related Press)
However early final spring, Redick determined it was time to cease combating. It was time to offer in.
“At some point, you just kinda have to listen to your soul and not be afraid of the consequences of whatever happens afterwards,” Redick informed The Occasions. “You just got to go for it I guess.”
And so Redick made up his thoughts. He was going to take heed to his soul. He didn’t simply need to coach within the NBA.
He wanted to.
Tuesday evening after the Lakers beat the Timberwolves 110-103, Redick stood within the hallway together with his hair nonetheless moist from the celebratory tub his gamers gave him within the locker room. There was little doubt. This was the place he was purported to be.
However, to be honest, that might’ve been the case regardless.
“I’d say every day has reinforced that,” Redick stated. “That’s the honest truth. From the first day of actual work to now, every day has been awesome. That’s the fact.”
Earlier than the Lakers’ opener Tuesday, a sport they gained with precision and execution greater than they did with shot-making, Redick recommitted to separating the work from the outcomes.
“Yeah, I’m not going to get caught up in the result. It’s a long season. We have talked since Day One about being about the process,” Redick stated pregame. “And there were things that we emphasized this morning that we know we have to do to compete with Minnesota. And if we do those things, we can get better and learn and grow. We would all like to win. I’d like to go 82-0. But I fundamentally just can’t get caught up in, in wins and losses. It’s going to drive me crazy if we lose. I will tell you that.
“But this will be a great growth opportunity for us against this team if we can execute the things we’ve emphasized over the last three days.”
Tuesday, they did.
Whereas the emphasis on three-point taking pictures dominated discussions across the group within the preseason, they made simply 5 of 30 on opening evening. Nevertheless the specter of taking pictures, mixed with organized chopping and spacing, received the Lakers a number of simple baskets.
“The game plan, the schemes that he had on both ends of the floor, he trusts us,” Anthony Davis stated. “We trust him, as far as what he teaches us, what he wants us to do on the floor on both ends and it’s our job to go execute it. I think we were very prepared tonight.”
Davis benefited greater than anybody Tuesday, main the Lakers in minutes, discipline objective makes an attempt, factors, rebounds and blocks.
“AD was phenomenal tonight,” Redick stated. “Felt like he attacked the game the right way.”
Lakers ahead Anthony Davis dunks the ball, scoring two of his 36 factors in opposition to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Enviornment on Tuesday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Occasions)
The brand new Lakers coach additionally navigated essentially the most anticipated substitution of the yr, placing LeBron and Bronny James into the sport collectively within the second quarter for a brief, three-minute shift.
“In the battle of competition, I was wondering during a deadball why everybody started cheering so loud and then I realized what was happening and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cool. That’s cool,’” Redick stated. “We felt like, in terms of the feel of the game, being able to play those last few minutes with those two guys together — [Austin Reaves] was on the floor, AD was on the floor, obviously LeBron was on the floor — it presented an opportunity for Bronny.
“He’s played well, he’s competed throughout preseason, just to give him a chance to get it going in a regular season game.”
In Redick’s eyes, Tuesday was in regards to the gamers — about Davis’ dominance and Rui Hachimura’s drive and Reaves’ hustle and D’Angelo Russell’s well timed playmaking. And never about him.
He stated as a lot pregame.
“I think whatever I envisioned in my previous life, that’s gone. This is who I am now. I’m a coach. And so I don’t feel like tonight is at all about me. It’s about our team,” he stated.
However as his normally styled hair began to dry out late Tuesday evening, Redick remembered when his id flipped. It was earlier than the final season had even ended, earlier than the Lakers had a emptiness, earlier than his work as a broadcaster had completed. His conversations together with his efficiency coach, they know all centered on one factor.
“Every session, we talked about it,” Redick informed The Occasions. “At that point, I just said, ‘This is what I’m supposed to be doing right now. This is who I am.’”
His soul was speaking to him. And it didn’t take a win Tuesday for Redick to be glad that he determined to pay attention.
But it surely positive didn’t harm, both.
