JJ Redick isn’t messing around about his first season with the Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers surprised a lot of people this offseason when they chose JJ Redick to be their next head coach. As the season creeps closer, the longtime NBA veteran and former ESPN analyst is preparing to lead LeBron James and the Lakers in 2024-25.

Redick wasted no time assembling an experience coaching staff full of former NBA head coaches, bringing in former Thunder and Wizards coach Scott Brooks and a head coach at four NBA stops in Nate McMillan. On Friday, Redick opened up about what he’s looking for from his staff when speaking to Spectrum SportsNet.

“The biggest thing for me is I wanted to make sure I had a bunch of sickos on my staff,” Redick said. “And I think I’ve accomplished that… Yeah, they’re grinders.”

The Lakers are searching for a new answer as the clock ticks down on LeBron James’ career, and they feel that they have underachieved over the last few seasons since winning the 2020 NBA Finals in the bubble. Redick will try to be the difference for the Lakers as they try to get back to the NBA Finals in 2025.

What are realistic expectations for the Lakers in 2024-25?

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Some found it controversial that the Lakers basically decided to run things back in 2024-25 after a first round exit in five games against the Denver Nuggets last season. Crucially, Los Angeles did address a major need for shooting by adding Dalton Knecht with the No. 17 overall pick in the NBA Draft, but most of the squad outside of the former Tennessee star remains the same.

The lakers’ ceiling during the regular season largely comes down to their depth. Can they survive two weeks if needed without the injury-prone Anthony Davis, who is coming off of one of his healthiest seasons ever? Can they stay afloat if LeBron James has to rest for a game here and there? In the past, Los Angeles has even struggled so badly with James on the bench that he has had to play heavy minutes in the regular season.

On the surface, it doesn’t appear that those concerns have been addressed. D’Angelo Russell still looks like he will be the second ball handler on the team after James, and while he can be an efficient scorer at times, he’s too hot and cold to be reliable through an 82-game season. Austin Reaves took a step back last season as well after a breakout 2022-23, so he will need to get back on track as well.

All of these problems will likely result in the Lakers losing more regular season games than they would like as they try to keep James and Davis fresh. While they will be a dangerous playoff team, a lower seed will likely give them a difficult path through the postseason that’s too much to overcome.