On November 28th, Lakers star LeBron James praised head coach JJ Redick's coaching performance on the Mind The Games podcast.
"When you look back at JJ's entire playing career, you see he's always been a 'winner,' always playing the right way. His achievements are not the result of embellishment or beautification—I played for Coach K myself (in the Olympics), and he (K) wasn't the type to beat around the bush: if he wasn't happy with your performance, he'd tell you directly, sometimes in a way that might be hard to accept, but it wasn't really personal."
"Redick is that kind of coach. He'll directly point out how he wants the players to play. If your performance on the court doesn't meet the coaching staff's standards, Redick will express his feelings directly. This isn't to discourage you, but to help you better understand the team's long-term goals."
"I respect that kind of communication; I even prefer it," James said.
After defeating the Clippers on Wednesday, the Lakers are currently tied for second place in the Western Conference with the Nuggets at 13-4. Their five-game winning streak is also the second-longest in the Western Conference, second only to the Thunder's ten-game winning streak.
Mike Krzyzewski, nicknamed "Coach K," is a legendary head coach in American basketball. JJ Redick previously worked with "Coach K" as a player at Duke University. During his time with Coach K, Redick developed into one of the NCAA's top scorers, winning numerous major awards including the ACC Player of the Year, ACC Tournament MVP, and Associated Press (AP) Player of the Year. He was ultimately selected 11th overall in the first round of the 2006 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic.
