New Lakers coach JJ Redick shed light on his choice not to vote for Anthony Davis as an All-Defensive player this year
JJ Redick, the new Lakers head coach, spoke in an interview with Sirius XM Radio recently. One of the questions he was asked was about his decision to leave Anthony Davis off of his NBA All-Defensive ballot for the 2023-24 NBA season. Redick explained the difference between being one of the 10 best defenders and making an All-Defensive team, and what factored into his decision-making.
“Well, there’s a big difference in being a top 10 defender and making an All-Defense team. There’s a distinction between the two. Anthony Davis is one of the two or three best defensive players in the NBA.
… I did this the last two years where I explained all of my votes. And you certainly have to factor in the stats, the advanced stats, and then, of course, the team performance on defense. And in both years, I weighed heavily on how the team performed defensively.”
Redick clearly showed respect to Anthony Davis for his performance last season but remained steadfast in his opinion of his showing. While AD may have been one of the best defenders last season, Redick felt that he wasn’t one of the two best players in his position as a defender to make an All-Defensive team.
AD had a great defensive season last year, averaging 2.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per game, along with 12.6 rebounds a night. Davis certainly had a case for one of the All-Defensive teams. But clearly his new head coach didn’t feel this way.
Redick is known for being incredibly blunt and forthcoming as a personality and will bring this same energy to his coaching career with the Los Angeles Lakers. While some were concerned about his hiring, so far, Redick has said and done all the right things.
JJ Redick Talks About Lakers Head Coach Comments From The Past
JJ Redick also spoke in the interview about comments he had made about the Lakers head coaching position back in 2022. Redick didn’t walk back any of his comments, but clarified what he meant when he said the negative things about the job he holds today and added that he enjoyed the challenge that came with the role.”
“I did not address it with Rob. We didn’t feel the need to address it. Look, I think when you think about certain jobs, you have to look at the life cycle of the team.”
“And I think there’s a component to my comments about what actually is the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers… Those jobs are different than any other job in this league. And there’s an inherent pressure regardless of where that life cycle is.”
“I want that challenge. I’m not going to run from that challenge,” Redick continued. “You certainly have to look at what I think is actually a very good roster, a very balanced roster. We’d love, you know, we tried, but we’d love to at some point get another five-man, you know, a big bruising five-man.”
Redick has been on quite the media run over the last few days. During his latest Summer League game for the Lakers, he took a shot at former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham for his poor coaching. Redick is clearly not shying away from the spotlight that comes with the Lakers head coach position.
Redick and the Lakers will want to prove everyone wrong next season, as they look to make a mark in the Western Conference. The Lakers will have to deal with teams like the Mavericks, Nuggets, and Thunder as the favorites, but have the star power to match up with th
em on any given night.
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