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Lakers Head Coach JJ Redick is the Early Favorite to Win Prestigious Award

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick has L.A. off to a hot start.

Ricardo Sandoval

Oct 6, 2024; Palm Desert, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick reacts against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Acrisure Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images
Oct 6, 2024; Palm Desert, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick reacts against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Acrisure Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images / David Frerker-Imagn Images
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The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a hot start through their first three games of the season. They sit with a 3-0 record and have a chance to go to 4-0 on Monday against the Phoenix Suns.

The Lakers are one of the surprise teams to start the season, and much of the credit can be placed on first-year head coach JJ Redick.

Redick's coaching style and philosophy have made the Lakers one of the best teams early on this season, and because of that, he has become the odds-on favorite to win NBA Coach of the Year.

Redick sits with the lead at +650 roughly a week through the season.

Behind the first-year head coach is Jamahl Mosely for the Orlando Magic, Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics, Taylor Jenkins of the Memphis Grizzlies, and Mike Budenholzer of the Phoenix Suns with +900 odds to run off the top five.

Many in the NBA world criticized Redick's hiring. It seemed like an unserious move, more like a move to keep LeBron James happy. Redick and James were briefly co-hosts on a podcast titled "Mind the Game." In this show, James and Redick discussed the X's and O's of basketball and broke down each play they found interesting.

It was a very detailed show, and some considered that show to be an audition of some sort of Redick and his ability to coach. That rumor has been debunked, but it's hard to believe, considering how James methodical he is.

Nonetheless, the Lakers loved what they saw from Redick, and they officially named him the 29th head coach in franchise history in late June.

Months later, and the hiring looks like a slam dunk. Redick is only 40 years old, and although he has an aging superstar and a superstar at the tail end of his prime, it appears that L.A. can compete with all of the best teams in the league in the meantime and make the most of it.

Suppose the Lakers can make a trade to improve this roster slightly. The Lakers can be in the championship bubble, especially if the duo of James and Anthony Davis stay healthy along with key pieces like Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Gabe Vincent, to name a few.

L.A. still has a long way to go, but if Redick can continue to surprise people, he could be holding that trophy by the end of the season.

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Ricardo Sandoval
RICARDO SANDOVAL

Staff Writer

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