D’Angelo Russell is the latest Lakers player to laud incoming coach JJ Redick and the new systems he’s implementing in LA.
It’s no secret that Russell struggled to forge a strong relationship with the Lakers last coach Darvin Ham over the past two seasons.
But the guard is having a different experience with Redick.
“I’m not throwing shots at anybody … but I’ve never really had the opportunity to build a relationship with a coach over a long period of time,” Russell said, via ESPN. “For me to see how JJ is trying to bring the playcalls and just level of IQ into each practice and each film session, to see how he’s prioritizing that. I’ve always been a guy that wants to prioritize high IQ, [high-level] verbiage, [high-level] film sessions … like, let’s rise to that. And he’s obviously doing that. It’s something to look forward to.”
Russell went on to explain how he was out golfing this week and found himself thinking back to one of the plays Redick had already implemented in camp.
He then reached out to Redick and showed his appreciation.
“I was on the golf course and I was thinking about it and I sent JJ a little voice note,” Russell said. “Thanking him for putting that [play] out. I’d never seen it. I’m not trying to hype it up but I thanked him for showing me that. … I saw him getting into his bag right there and it’s exciting for players to notice stuff like that.”
The Lakers will open their preseason with a game against the Timberwolves on Friday, which will mark Redick’s NBA coaching debut.
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