How JJ Redick Is Outsmarting the NBA [Video Essay]
Since stepping off the court, JJ Redick has quickly become one of the most compelling voices in basketball. From his work on First Take to his podcasts The Old Man & The Three and Mind the Game with LeBron James, Redick has proven he knows how to analyze the game. But does that translate to coaching at the NBA’s highest level?
In Hot Hand Theory’s first-ever video essay, Geoff breaks down Redick’s impact as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers—using data, film analysis, and game strategy to show why he’s already one of the best coaching minds in the league.
From his tactical adjustments to his strategic mastery, Redick has showcased an ability to adapt to opponents in ways few rookie coaches can—all in the regular season. We dive deep into key Lakers matchups that demonstrate Redick’s brilliance, the numbers behind their success, and why JJ Redick might just be the perfect coach for the Lakers’ future.
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🔥 Drop a comment—where do you rank Redick among NBA coaches? We respond to every single comment, whether we agree or disagree!
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Timestamps:
0:00 | Intro
0:16 | JJ Redick’s path to coaching
1:45 | Strategy vs Tactics
3:55 | Slowing the Grizzlies’ pace
6:27 | Making the Celtics’ shot quality more difficult
8:05 | Exploiting the Knicks’ weaknesses
9:38 | Conclusion
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great breakdown, adaptability can be applied to many aspects in life as well
They don’t make it in the playoffs
Like for Cranjis McBasketball
Go hard on them dudes. Salute!
As a college player I couldn’t stand JJ. As a pro I kind of forgot about him. As a TV personality I was like, “that’s a good take”. As a podcaster, I loved his insight. As a coach, I think he has a high ceiling. Can’t wait to see his final form…
If you watch his podcasts it miles apart from other players podcast in terms of basketball IQ.
Holy vocal fry. If you can change it, it’ll be a much more pleasant listening experience for the viewers.
Lebron made a good move trading Darvin ham for J.J Riddick
This is what NBA media should be like
Jj might be a better coach than a player lol that says a lot cause he was a solid hooper 💯
*old man and the three
Knew he be great dudes has a great basketball mind, great dude, good hooper! Played all 4 years at under the goat makes sense he has some of his tendencies as a coach
Congrats on your blowup vid
amazing video essay bro!!
2nd in the west . HELLO ???
Preach 🙏
subscribed! lil request, could you talk about the pistons jump from last year? i’m curious to see at a higher analytical level what made this jump. the pistons players say that JB Bickerstaff should be COTY. do you think hes deserves it?
When are we going to start talking about him as a coach of the year candidate?
He is not a coach. He is a coach-player. Lebron and Luka are player-coaches. The 3 sit down and plan how to mock all these teams. JJ controls the other players, Luka is the point man. Lebron does his thing. Its a business enterprise primarily. Genius if u ask me. I hope they are champions this year. They are playing bad yet providing such good results. It would be insane to think they are just going to get better. Yes even without a big man. 🎉😂😅 and AR? Hes the only good player there. (The other 2 are magicians) 😅
If the lakers keep going this way and remain healthy, they are title contenders. Okc is great but lack the deep playoff experience. Yes, they’re hungry but never underestimate LeBron bron… I think w Luca he has added three extra years in his career
Not only did JJ Reddick prove everyone wrong, he humiliated SAS on national TV which is exactly what needed to be done, SAS has absolutely zero knowledge of the game of basketball. He also had the absolute best basketball podcasts ever created, and was announcer during the Finals last year. This guy is a winner on every level. He embodies the growth mindset. He deserves every ounce of success.
Love the content and analysis in the video, but your intense vocal fry is really irritating to listen to
It’s crazy seeing the bags under his eyes after he takes the job compared to being on first take, really shows he dedicated and doesn’t sleep much 👊💪
Man that’s crazy😭😂 : 1:48
old man not young
Either you just woke up. Or you just took a bunch of pain killers before making this video. 😂. I know that voice.
More video essays pls
COTY stop disrespecting this mans!
hey bro work on your enthusiasm and delivery
Clear your throat boy
Amazing how narratives change
Anyone who watched jj break film and concepts down and discussed strategy on his podcasts knew he was going to be a very good coach at the very least. He might be the extremely rare guy that is a players coach that is great at the x’s and o’s as well. You cant win a title without great players but you cant be a dynasty without a great coach. Lebron is both the exception and the rule…hes the rule because none of his teams could maintain a true dynasty because he never got a great coach (young spo was good but not what he was by the 2020s)…but he was the exception because he was a player that went to 8 straight finals and 9 in 10 years with 4 titles on 3 different teams. Lebron had a dynasty run with multiple teams, coaching and player personnels in totality but never a team dynasty, just a player dynasty (one of one in nba history).
really, red dick??
Thanks for checking us out! We are hoops junkies and this is our first foray into video essays. Please excuse the audio quality but hope you enjoy the content! If you like, subscribe for even better content in the future 📈
Great video and insights. Only constructive criticism I can offer is that your commentary has a ton of vocal fry.
I didn’t realize rabbits ate cheese. Lol
Lmao yea step 1… hoodwink the mavericks and steal Luka behind the scenes – not that hard 🤣
Almost any NBA player current or former has the IQ and ability to be a coach, what separates JJ is his ability to be a leader and get people to buy in
Aaahhh … the lack of energy on reading, tactics/strategy semantics, pushed over the edge with elevator music. I can’t take 11:29 of this. Did you see JJ’s podcast take some lessons. I’m out 2 min in I can’t take this
I think JJ’s knowledge and understanding of modern basketball had him a top 5 coach in the league when he was hired
11:10 still got me laughing hard, how did the mavs even entertain the idea it was a good trade ???
SPEAK UP – Stop mumbling and speaking in a lower-than-usual, throaty voice my guy!
Excellent video, great examples! Subscribed 🙂
Good role players typically end up being good coaches vs. superstars. They have seen the game, locker room, and front office from a different perspective.
ur voice is so annoyingly raspy, but good video
Looking at game film and coming up with strategies. If it doesn’t work, he tries something else. It might not work or stop working but his strategies aren’t random, they have a logic to them. He doesn’t just do random stuff or stick his hands in his pockets and give up.
Really good video. But man that tired voice did this video a disservice as I found myself listening to your voice almost as much as your words. Some vocal/speech lessons could really help you with projection.
If you study advanced metrics, Bron is having one of the worst seasons in his career. His raw stats is still impressive at his age, but the return for his contract is not great for winning a championship. It would be better if he’d take a $30-35M per year discount so they can really build a better team around Luka.
his podcast wasn’t called The Young Man and the Three…
Chuck what now? Ur dum chuck that’s why white coach had the most rings 🤣 go to grade school you only good at basketball but u ain’t nothing in media