The Los Angeles Lakers have taken a strong approach to their head-coaching vacancy. After parting ways with Darvin Ham following two seasons at the helm, there’s been no shortage of rumors but also no movement from the Lakers thus far.
But the one name that continues circulating is former player and current NBA analyst JJ Redick. The former sharpshooter has picked up steam to become the next Lakers coach, and considering he hosts the “Mind The Game” podcast with LeBron James, it’s easy to understand why. More than that, Redick is widely viewed as an extremely intelligent basketball mind, which has been proven with many segments during the podcast.
However, the Lakers are thinking about both the “win now” and “win later” aspects, and the latest rumor could play a role in their decision. While James is set to turn 40 in December, the future face of the franchise is set to be Anthony Davis, and according to NBA insider Marc Stein (via The Stein Line), the star big man may prefer another popular name over Redick: James Borrego.
“It has been suggested in some corners of the league that Lakers star big man Anthony Davis probably prefers for James Borrego to get the job over Redick,” Stein wrote.
There’s nothing concrete to back up this being the potential reason for rumbling of Davis’ interest, but Stein also pointed out that Redick didn’t vote for Davis to make either the first or second All-Defense teams this season.
While Redick remains the popular name to monitor, Borrego has been linked to the Lakers’ head-coaching vacancy essentially since the start. The current New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach spent four seasons as the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets from the 2018-19 season to 2021-22.
The Hornets pushed the .500 mark twice over his first three seasons, and they went 43-39 in his final year. Even with Charlotte clearing the .500 mark in 2021-22, the franchise still opted to make a head-coaching change.
As things currently stand, it appears to be Redick vs. Borrego for the Lakers job. Things can change quickly, but it’ll be interesting to see how things play out if Davis does have a true preference between the two candidates.
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