The media erupted Thursday when news broke that the Los Angeles Lakers were hiring retired sharpshooter JJ Redick as their next coach, but one ESPN analyst is disappointed by the move.
Brian Windhorst understands that the hiring was necessary but believes that improving the workforce is much more important. The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired point guard Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls on the cheap just hours after signing Redick, which he said would have been more substantial to the Lakers organization.
“With all due respect to JJ, what the Lakers need more than a head coach are players like Alex Caruso,” Windhorst said on First Take. “If they hadn’t hired a head coach yesterday and announced they had acquired Alex Caruso, it would have been a bigger day for the Lakers. Here’s the reality: The 2020 banner can’t be taken down, but the Lakers haven’t been able to maintain a high-quality workforce.
“If they hadn’t hired a head coach yesterday and announced they had acquired Alex Caruso, it would have been a bigger day for the Lakers.”
—@WindhorstESPN about the state of the Lakers squad ? pic.twitter.com/mZURbzEUrE
– First Take (@FirstTake) June 21, 2024
The Lakers came up short against the Denver Nuggets in Round 1 of the postseason in a gentlemen’s sweep, but the matchup was closer than at first glance. Although Windhorst and the Los Angeles front office disagree on their priorities, all attention must now be focused on improving the roster with less than a week until the NBA Draft.