From Podcast to Postseason: The Case for JJ Redick as NBA Coach of the Year

Read Time:2 Minute, 54 Second

LOS ANGELES — When the Los Angeles Lakers hired JJ Redick last June, the basketball world met the news with a collective raised eyebrow. Critics labeled it a “podcast hire” and a symptom of LeBron James’ influence. But as the 2025–26 regular season enters its final week, the laughter has turned into legitimate hardware buzz.

With the Lakers sitting at 50–29 and holding the #3 seed in a brutal Western Conference, Redick has emerged as a serious, albeit polarizing, candidate for NBA Coach of the Year (COY).

1. Management of Personalities: The “Sacrifice” Factor

As 2016 NBA champion Richard Jefferson noted recently on the Road Trippin’ podcast, coaching isn’t just about drawing up a baseline out-of-bounds play; it’s about managing egos. Redick’s greatest achievement hasn’t been a tactical adjustment, but a cultural one.

LeBron’s Evolution: Redick successfully convinced a 41-year-old LeBron James to embrace a “third star” role, allowing the offense to flow through the younger legs of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.
Defensive Buy-In: He has pushed Dončić to play the most engaged defense of his career and integrated Deandre Ayton into a system where the big man has become a consistent double-double anchor.

2. Navigating the Injury Minefield

The Lakers’ current standing is even more impressive considering the medical hurdles they’ve cleared. The “Big 3” of James, Dončić, and Reaves missed a combined 59 games this season.

Redick kept the team afloat during a turbulent start, at one point leading them to a nine-game winning streak in March. His ability to find production from bench pieces like Rui Hachimura and Luke Kennard kept the Lakers in the hunt for home-court advantage while their stars were in the training room.

3. Strategic Acumen

Redick has proven to be a “prepared” coach. The Lakers currently rank in the top 10 in Offensive Rating (118.2), a testament to a modern, space-oriented system that maximizes high-IQ playmakers. Analysts have praised his late-game play-calling, particularly in high-pressure road wins against Denver and Houston.

The Competition: Why It’s an Uphill Battle

Despite the “miracle” in Los Angeles, Redick faces stiff competition for the Red Auerbach Trophy:

J.B. Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons): The odds-on favorite. Bickerstaff has led the Pistons to their first 50-win season in 18 years, all while navigating a major injury to Cade Cunningham.
Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics): Has kept the Celtics as the league’s most dominant force, and they are now a legit threat to win it all.
Mitch Johnson (San Antonio Spurs): The Spurs are a 60-win season in the Victor Wembanyama era.

The Current Crisis

Redick’s COY case faces its final, and perhaps most difficult, test this week. With Luka Dončić (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) both sidelined for the remainder of the regular season, the Lakers have dropped three straight games to the Thunder twice and the Mavericks.

The Verdict

Whether Redick wins or not, he has already silenced the skeptics. He took a team projected to be a 6th or 7th seed and has them on pace for their best winning percentage since the 2010–11 season.

If Redick secures the award, he would be the first Lakers coach since Dell Harris in 1995 to do so. In a league where “player-turned-coach” experiments often fail spectacularly, JJ Redick has proven that his basketball IQ translates from the microphone to the hardwood.