Former NBA sharpshooter and current ESPN analyst JJ Redick is among the candidates who have interviewed for the Raptors‘ head coaching vacancy, according to Redick’s ESPN colleague Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca was the first to report Toronto’s potential interest in Redick.
Redick played in the NBA for 15 seasons from 2006-21, appearing in 940 total regular season games for the Magic, Bucks, Clippers, Sixers, Pelicans, and Mavericks. Known for his ability to make outside shots, he had a career three-point rate of 41.5%.
Since retiring two years ago, Redick has served only as a commentator, analyst, and podcaster, but he has previously discussed his interest in possibly getting into coaching, according to Grange.
It seems unlikely that the Raptors would hire Redick as Nick Nurse‘s replacement, given his lack of experience. Still, the fact that he got a meeting is an indication that the team is casting a wide net and keeping an open mind in its head coaching search.
As our tracker shows, Redick is at least the 11th candidate to reportedly secure an interview with Toronto.
lol
I like it. A lot of basketball coaching is like baseball management now. GM’s want coaches to let the numbers rule. NBA coaches constantly do dumb moves as far as rotations and such. Having a stooge as a coach that follows the numbers and isn’t of the gut will work just as well.
Full disclosure, I’m a white dude, but I don’t fail to see the white privilege on this one. Nash’s inexperience worked real well. How many black assistants have been assistants for years and don’t get interviews. I don’t think playing in the NBA and occasionally saying some dumb things as an analyst qualifies you for a head coaching spot. If it were to bring him on as an assistant that’s fine. Rasheed Wallace wants to coach, I don’t see his name coming up to be a head coach. Not that I agree anyone should be able to just jump into being a head coach.
This is nonesene to me. You have listened to Rasheed? I don’t think he communicates well and that is as important as the basketball knowledge that he might have. Ham, Monty, Nate Mc, etc. all those black coaches have very good communicative skills.
Have you listened to any of Redick’s takes? Might as well interview Kendrick Perkins. None of those guys you mentioned went straight to being a head coach. So your comment is nonsense to me. To each their own though.
I have not said that he should start as a HC. I was talking about the racist thing of him getting the interview.
His takes are ok, i don’t agree with everything he says, in fact i don’t agree 100% with anyone and if you do you are biased or lacking personality, but i can see he speaks well and communicates his thoughts in a good way.
So Masai, who is a black man is racist now?
50% of coaches in the nba in 2022 were black. Stop it.
And none of them were hired with zero coaching experience.
Proof?
how many white HC have been hired with zero coachin exp? I know only about Nash.
Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t Steve Kerr jump from GM to analyst to 4 time championship winning head coach?
Kerr was an actual analyst that during his time proved he knew the game. Reddick is just some clown on TV that uses his platform to disrespect the founders of the game
Chauncey Billips and his 1 year of being an assistant is plenty of experience. Please listen to the narrative
Jason Kidd enters the chat…sweat wasn’t even dry off his jock before he got his first HC gig with BK
Yea it only took 75 years
It’s almost like former players have a leg up on everyone else. Continue with your white privilege nonsense
Except Brad Stevens, Nurse, Mike Malone, Snyder, Atkinson, Borrego, Steve Clifford, Van Gundys, Vogel, Budenholzer, WTF you talking about?
@splender – like Bird, McHale, Nash, Nelson, Collins, Skiles, Cowens, Brooks, Kerr…could go on and on about former players who are white as well.
I’m SO glad you made this about race! We just don’t get enough of that everywhere else.
Great point. Patrick Ewing was trying to get an NBA HC job for a long time and ultimately had to settle for college. Sam Cassell is another guy that has been trying to get a job.
Just the fact of how up in arms a lot of people are about your comment just shows how true it is. Especially when not a single person could provide a reasonable argument why Reddick should even be considered.
I’ve heard good things about Sam, but Ewing, is a center, and doesn’t really come across as an X’s and O’s guy. Still, either should at least get a shot.
I know the Jazz considered Sam, Griffin, Terry, etc. They did bring Terry back as an assistant. Griffin and Sam likely needed to be the head coach to make them change their current positions.
Remember, before Coach Snyder the Jazz elevated Ty Corbin from Jerry Sloan’s assistant to head coach for multiple years. He was okay, but not quite a head coach. Plus, I think they regretted not doing a large scale search. That’s how they found Snyder as his replacement.
Snyder, in comparison, is a basketball nerd to the extreme. Created a number 1 offense and a top 1-10 defense, depending on the roster.
In this scenario, it’s pretty easy to see why Snyder is a better choice. Had nothing to do with race. That being said, there’s probably lots of black basketball nerds that deserve a shot, like you say.
However, it makes more sense for billion dollar franchises to hire guys with experience. Anyone that would hire JJ, or any person without coaching experience, is irresponsible.
Of course you’ve got to make it all about race, as if there aren’t any black coaches out there. Where’s all the Asian, Mexican or native coaches at? Nobody seems to ever care about that so seriously stop your nonsense
I get why you would think that, but I don’t think that’s the case with JJ.
I think it has more to do with how smart the guy clearly is. He talks to all sorts of different personalities on his show, and gets along with them. He could easily run a locker room with this skill. The only thing he lacks is experience coaching. Probably at least has some good ideas.
The big reason, other than experience, why he wouldn’t get the job is because he is a bit of a hothead in arguments with and about certain people.
I could see Reddick as an assistant coach, but not as a head coach. Promoting him directly into an HC position is a move best saved for teams like “The Process” sixers, and the current Rockets. Attempting to intentionally tank.
He’d be a good sounding board as an assistant for Becky Hammon, if Massai is being shrewd with “center field” hires. Both kinda make sense, so I can’t call them left field!
And, if it doesn’t work out with Becky in a year-and-half, there’s your interim.
I don’t think Reddick is a good fit for the Raptors players, though. He’s kind of a jerk, and he’s also very guard and 3pt focused. The Raptors run a starting lineup with four forwards half the time.
Why do you have to hire a white woman when Dawn Staley is available? Just kidding but personally I would look at Dawn first…could be a Philly bias lol
This would be malpractice by the Toronto Raptors
I like this better than the Becky idea
The most important function of the head coach isn’t the Xs and Os. It’s being the spokesman of the team. It’s handling the media before and after games. It’s handling the pressure of being the face of the team.
Teams have like 5 assistants for the micro in-game stuff. Inexperienced head coaches usually have very experienced assistants for the first few years (as Nash did w/ multiple former head coaches under him).
Redick is highly intelligent and there’s little doubt he could make the same leap Steve Kerr did (although Kerr had been prepping for years and played for a few of the GOATs). Just getting his name out there increases his leverage w/ ESPN and his overall credibility. It would be shocking if he jumped in now w/ the way he’s booming as a media personality.
Kerr’s system is a modernized version of the 7SOL Suns. Or more accurately, the Gentry-ball system that followed it, but had similar personnel. And he was the GM there, so he of course knew most of it. Reddick doesn’t have that edge.
I’m not saying he’d be a good head coach and obviously none of them compare to the pedigree of Popovich or Jackson but Reddick played for some good head coaches Stan Van Gundy, Alvin Gentry and Doc Rivers
SVG was good? Now that’s funny!
Hilarious.
TOR should cast a wide net, or appear to, in giving interviews anyway. Unless a FO knows the guy it wants from the start (which is rare), its a valuable exercise for the FO to engage with a wide range of basketball people who aspire (or may aspire) to the HC position. Also valuable to the interviewees, if they understand the process. I’m guessing Redick is the type who would actually enjoy it.
After Ujuri’s SOTU speech, TOR may have issues hiring an experienced HC with options. If I were a HC candidate with options (even if one was sitting at home), I’d have a bunch of questions about what the FO intends to do with the roster, immediately and longer term.
Heck, they should have interviewed Tim Legler as well.
Legler, is easily the best among the ESPN crew.
I like Doris Burke. Checks off the woman box too.
Bunch of cashews. Redick won’t get hired.
It’s just diligence and getting some good rep to JJ and his people. Kinda like the Jason Terry interview Jazz did last year.
Why you guys always wanna spin something is cold-sweat funny