Is JJ Redick's friendship with LeBron James going to land him the Los Angeles Lakers job?

After the Los Angeles Lakers were beaten in five games by the Denver Nuggets at the beginning of May, the Lakers and head coach Darvin Ham parted ways, potentially lining up JJ Redick with the job. 

The Lakers are well underway in finding their new head coach, with the Clutch Points website reporting the franchise has already drawn up its shortlist of coaches they want to interview. 

JJ Redick is a 16-year NBA veteran turned broadcaster, who scored over 12,000 points in the NBA and was named the National College Player of the Year in 2006. 

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Redick has become popular for his unique expertise on the game, hosting his podcast called 'The Old Man and the Three' and becoming a regular on ESPN's First Take.

According to Clutch Points, his ESPN colleague Kendrick Perkins said: "Going into that locker room, it's one thing to have a high basketball IQ and know your X's and O's, [but] it's another thing to make sure you gather the ears of that locker room."

Luckily for Redick, the former NBA guard has formed a newfound friendship with Lakers superstar LeBron James, creating a podcast with the NBA GOAT called 'Mind the Game.'

The two NBA geniuses made the podcast to break down plays for the average viewer and showcase which plays should be made at certain points in a game. It's safe to say James agrees with a lot of what Redick says on the podcast.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the synergy the two have created on the podcast is why Redick has been named the frontrunner for the head coaching role. 

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Everyone knows the power LeBron James has in the Lakers front office, having an opinion on head coach appointments and his Bronny having an interview with the franchise as he lines up for the NBA Draft. 

Speaking on ESPN, James' former teammate Udonis Haslem believes Redick will struggle to gather the locker room because the team won't know if his message is from him directly or from LeBron James.

"You're going to see guys that are going to say, 'Is coach going to do a podcast after the game with LeBron? ' You're going to have a cynical locker room of guys that are going to side-eye everything JJ says. Cause they're going to wonder, 'Is it JJ's message? Or is it LeBron's message?'"

With no previous head coaching experience, is JJ Redick the right person to lead the Lakers forward, even if he and James have a similar understanding of the game? 

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