The Toronto Raptors have been interviewing plenty of proven head coaches and top-end assistants in their quest to find a replacement for Nick Nurse. They have also made one of the more puzzling interview requests we had seen in quite some time when they asked to talk to JJ Redick.
Redick, who is currently a TV talking head with ESPN and a podcast host following a very productive 15-year NBA career, was interviewed by the Raptors for their head coaching vacancy. Redick, who said previously he would only coach at Duke, has never been a head or assistant coach in the NBA.
NBA Twitter’s initial reaction to the news was one of bewilderment, as they couldn’t believe that an executive like Masai Ujiri would be willing to make such an unusual move. However, hiring Redick wouldn’t be a white-flag waving, especially considering his basketball acumen.
The Raptors looking at Redick could help them land a potential star in the industry before the rest of the basketball world figures out how good he can be. However, it could also be such a poor hire that it sets this franchise back for years. Which direction will Redick take them?
Pros and cons of Raptors hiring JJ Redick.
Pros
Redick’s basketball mind and experience as a player could give him a very unique angle from which he could approach the Raptors. The Nurse formula wasn’t working, and Redick could bring something new to the table that helps this team find themselves offensively,
If Redick knows anything about basketball, he would know how to shoot from 3-point range. Perhaps he has enough smarts to bring one or two tricks of the trade up to Toronto with him as he tried to get this roster to perform at a professional level from beyond the arc.
JJ Redick brings new ideas to the Toronto Raptors.
Rather than hiring another retread head coach that has tried and failed, hiring someone who isn’t far removed from playing might help him relate to players like Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes. Being unable to control the locker room seems like one of the main issues Nurse faced near the end.
Steve Kerr was named the coach of the Warriors with no experience, and he presided over one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history. Larry Bird almost beat prime Shaq and Kobe in the Finals after jumping into the fray as coach of the Pacers, and Doc Rivers’ 23-season stint as a coach began when the Magic hired him right after his retirement.
Cons
There is a reason that most coaches have to pay their dues as an assistant before being given one of the 30 best basketball coaching jobs in the world. Redick coming out of the morning show world and into the NBA would be an unprecedented move across NBA history.
For every Kerr and Rivers that succeeds, there are two inexperienced hires that fail. Jason Kidd has consistently disappointed despite some good rosters, Derek Fisher was terrible as the coach of the Knicks, and ML Carr put together some of the worst Celtics teams ever. Only Kerr and Rivers have coached for more than three seasons at their first spot.
JJ Redick brings no experience to the Toronto Raptors.
Redick would be walking into a serious powder keg. Three of Toronto’s best six players could test the open market as free agents, and both Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are in need of new contracts after next year. Redick will not be given any grace period to figure out how the nuts and bolts of how the job works.
The Raptors haven’t moved overly fast when it comes to finding a coach, but they deserve credit for finding coaches that fit in with their developmental timeline and have a strong history of helping young players get better. No one has any idea if Redick possesses that particular skill.
Verdict
The Raptors need to look elsewhere and exhaust their top two or three preferred options before circling back to Redick. However, if those options fall through, Redick could be enough of a facelift to where the Raptors can feel comfortable hiring him and changing their culture.
If Raptors fans were frustrated with Nurse’s system and the idea of hiring one of his assistants in Adrian Griffin, shouldn’t hiring someone who will tear the offense down to the studs and start from scratch gets fans excited about some new blood?
JJ Redick would fundamentally change the Toronto Raptors.
It’s hard to really pick up much about Redick as a coach, as nothing he has done in his career show that he can handle the day-to-day grind. However, Rivers and Kerr had those same questions, and both of them proved to be quality hires for championship teams.
Having been in charge of a team that has only had two head coaches since the 2013 season, Ujiri has typically done a solid job with hiring coaches. While some of his personnel moves are questionable, he has shown that building a solid infrastructure is a specialty of his.