JJ Redick and Rob Pelinka sat in the nearly identical places on the team’s practice court as they did last June when Redick was introduced as the Lakers’ head coach. In the time since that decision last June, a lot has changed for the Lakers.
Pelinka earned a contract extension and an elevated front office title after trading for Luka Doncic. Redick went from coaching unknown to a successful culture builder, even if his boldest strategies in the playoffs didn’t keep the Lakers from being eliminated after just five games for the second straight year.