Kendrick Perkins gives Lakers' JJ Redick his flowers after 1st game with LA

10/23/2024 04:43 PM

Even the most adamant Los Angeles Lakers haters were impressed with what the team was able to accomplish on Tuesday evening, knocking off the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game in which LeBron James and his son Bronny appeared on the court at the same time. The Lakers largely controlled this one from start to finish and hounded a Timberwolves squad that was clearly having some trouble integrating their new pieces into the fold.

One person who was impressed by what he saw on the court, particularly from newly minted head coach JJ Redick, was none other than former NBA champion and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, who took to NBA Today to relay his thoughts.

“I know at times I can be labeled as a hater,” said Kendrick. “…I watched (Redick) from start to finish up and down the sideline, I listened to him, he was mic’d up, because I wanted to come on here and criticize him. But I can’t. He coached his behind off in his first NBA game and I thought he did an exceptional job top to bottom, even in his postgame interview when he was addressing the basketball situation, because that’s a real thing.”

After the game, JJ Redick criticized the NBA for not letting teams play with “worn-in” basketballs, per Will Zimmerman of the New York Post.

A successful first game for JJ Redick

Indeed, TNT’s Mic’d Up segments revealed Redick actively strategizing and implementing a gameplan for his players, something that should be the bare minimum for an NBA coach but was missing from the Lakers’ sideline during the last two years under head coach Darvin Ham, now with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Redick looked confident throughout the evening on Tuesday, skillfully evading a weeks-long media frenzy by putting Bronny James in the game early and implementing a game plan that encouraged more player movement and three point shooting, even though those shots largely weren’t falling during this game.

Making matters even more impressive for the Lakers was the fact that they were able to coast to victory vs an elite team despite a rough shooting night from LeBron James, who will turn 40 years old in just over two months.

In any case, Redick and the Lakers will next hit the hardwood on Friday evening, once again at home against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. That game is slated to tip off at 10:00 PM ET.

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