Lakers' JJ Redick Credits Stint With Dallas Mavericks For Coaching Aspirations

Redick says he wouldn't be in this position without the push from one former Maverick

Jun 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; ESPN analyst JJ Redick looks on before game two of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers made a surprising move this week, officially naming JJ Redick as their next head coach. Redick had no previous coaching experience but has seen the game at a high level, leaving him to host multiple NBA podcasts and be a commentator on ESPN for the NBA Finals.

Redick played out the final games of his career with the Dallas Mavericks, arriving via trade at the 2021 trade deadline before a sore Achilles tendon forced him into retirement. According to Redick, those few months in Dallas put the idea of coaching into the back of his head.

READ MORE: Mavericks' Tim Hardaway Jr. Is Likely To Be Traded, Which Teams Are Favorites?

"It was really when I was in Dallas at the end of my career," Redick would say in his introductory press conference when asked about where the desire to coach started, "and I was hurt for most of those two and a half months... (then Mavericks head coach) Rick Carlisle and I would spend a lot of time together and he really planted the seed about coaching."

Carlisle and the Mavericks would go different directions after that season, as he would go back to coaching the Indiana Pacers, but he's one of the greater coaching minds of the last 20 years and helped Dallas win its only championship, so far, in 2011. As a former player himself, he could often clash with other cerebral guards, infamously doing so with Rajon Rondo, but he always wanted smart basketball players. JJ Redick was no different and has been able to showcase his knowledge of the game with his platform, especially on the "Mind The Game" podcast with LeBron James.

Redick is one of the NBA's best shooters ever, shooting 41.5% from deep over his career. He's been willing to embrace analytics and data to help prove or disprove points on shows and podcasts and could be a very good coach. Former players like Jason Kidd and Derek Fisher became head coaches immediately after their playing days were over to mixed results (Kidd has found some success now that he's a decade out from retirement), so this isn't a new phenomenon.

The pressure of Redick's first head coaching job being with the Los Angeles Lakers, arguably the most iconic brand in the NBA, will be immense. If LeBron James returns to play alongside Anthony Davis, Redick will have two superstars at his disposal, but the Lakers were impressed with his desire for player development and wanting to help the young guys on the team like Jalen Hood-Schifino.

READ MORE: Dallas Mavericks Lose Well-Respected Staff Member to New York Knicks

Stick with MavericksGameday for more coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the NBA Offseason

Follow MavericksGameday on Twitter and Austin Veazey on Twitter