JJ Redick is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers but for the last several seasons he has been an NBA commentator and analyst.
That means he has been able to vote for All-NBA teams and other league prizes and now has to defend his choices.
While speaking with SiriusXM NBA Radio, Redick talked about why he left Anthony Davis off his All-Defensive ballot last year.
He said he considers Davis “one of the two or three best defensive players in the NBA” but didn’t put him on his list because of the Lakers’ performance.
“Anthony Davis is one of the two or three best defensive players in the NBA”
JJ Redick responds to @termineradio’s question about his decision to leave the #Lakers star center off his media All-Defensive ballot with @jumpshot8 and Ryan McDonough at #NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/finX38WRBm
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 13, 2024
Like many Lakers fans, Redick wasn’t thrilled with what he saw from the team over the last several seasons.
Although they reached the Western Conference Finals two seasons ago, the team struggled a lot in 2023-24.
A huge reason for their problems was because of LA’s lacking defense.
Former coach Darvin Ham was never able to give his team a defensive plan that worked well.
But Davis was still doing great things for the Lakers, averaging 24.7 points and 12.6 rebounds.
Although he did get votes for Defensive Player of the Year, he was never fully in contention with Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, and others.
Last season was Davis’ best year in a long time, with him participating in 76 games and earning another All-Star appearance.
If the Lakers really want to succeed again, they will need Davis to keep playing well but will also need defensive schemes that help him out.
Redick is well aware of that and is surely putting together plans that will bring the Lakers, and their defense, to the next level.