JJ Redick Linked to Detroit Pistons Coaching Vacancy
On Wednesday morning, major news broke regarding the Detroit Pistons. One year after signing him to a historic contract, the organzation decided to part ways with Monty Williams.
The Pistons brought in Williams after a rather successful run with the Phoenix Suns. However, he was not able to create a similar kind of success in Detroit. Along with tying the longest losing streak ever (28), the Pistons had the NBA's worst record this season at 14-68.
Weeks after dismissing general manager Troy Weaver, Detroit now has to fill a vacancy at head coach as well. In a recent story for Yahoo Sports, Vincent Goodwill mentioned a pair of names as possible candidates. Among those brought up was JJ Redick, who has some ties to new President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon.
James Borrego could be a name to watch, league sources told Yahoo Sports, as well as ESPN analyst JJ Redick. Redick is currently a prime candidate for the Lakers job, so it isn’t known how much traction Detroit could actually gain.
Redick and Langdon have the Duke connection, and they were in New Orleans when Redick signed there as a free agent before the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season.
Over the past month, Redick has been heavily connected to the Lakers job. However, a situation like Detroit might be better suited for him. With the Lakers, he'd be expected to turn them into a contender right away. That won't be the case with the Pistons. He'd have a chance to grow as a head coach around a young core that is still ways away from competing for titles.
Given that Redick also has close connections with LeBron James, Detroit might have their hands full trying to lure the longtime sharpshooter to Detroit.
KEVIN MCCORMICK