Given his inexperience as a head coach, Magic Johnson hopes Lakers fans will show JJ Redick some grace during the start of the NBA season.
A new era is about to begin with JJ Redick taking on one of the most coveted and high-pressure positions in sports: head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Only 29 people have ever held the position and only a handful have dealt with it in the modern era of the 24-hour news cycle.
While Lakers legend Magic Johnson played during a much different landscape in the 1980s, he knows more about the franchise and its fans than virtually anyone else.
Magic talked with Jim Hill of KCAL News about his desire for Lakers fans to give Redick time to get comfortable with this new job.
Magic Johnson has a message for @Lakers fans when it comes to JJ Redick, LeBron James and Anthony Davis this season. More from @MagicJohnson with #JimHill at 5:45/10:45 @kcalnews #Lakers pic.twitter.com/4LV40ccLPY
— Sports Central LA (@SportsCentralLA) August 29, 2024
It is expected that someone new to a job will take time to get accustomed to the role. However, giving the Lakers coach that time and patience is not expected.
Magic is right that Redick will need support from everyone to optimize this roster. There are so many things to work on top to bottom, from figuring out the starters, a closing lineup, the bench hierarchy, how to develop the younger guys while still trying to win, and everything in between.
This is one of the reasons the Lakers hired a staff full of NBA coaching experience to support Redick.
Even with experienced coaches on the bench and stars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the floor, it’s unlikely Redick will get everything right all at once and the Lakers start the season dominating the Western Conference.
Instead, it’ll probably be a mix of good and bad and fans will have to temper expectations and resist creating long Twitter threads and hashtags like #FireRedick.
Knowing Lakers fans as I do, if the team drops a couple of early games, there will probably be some of this silliness happening around Halloween.
Still, it’s good to try to establish these parameters for fans as the season begins. Lakers owner Jeanie Buss also recently made similar statements about Redick, saying, “We have to give him time to establish what he wants to establish.”
I expect similar statements from players, Redick himself and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka on Media Day.
I also expect Lakers fans to have less patience than a toddler sitting in a restaurant, but it’s the offseason, so let’s hope this time around, we can wait a few months before we bring out the pitchforks.