JJ Redick was seen as a risky hire when the Los Angeles Lakers first decided to name him head coach of the franchise. He had zero prior coaching experience, and many were worried about his ability to lead a team with LeBron James — both a friend and someone his exact age — without losing the locker room like previous coaches had.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick appears to have the trust and respect of his two superstars at the end of his first year as a head coach.

Unable to trust any of his reserve players in Game 4 of a best-of-seven series against the Timberwolves, Lakers coach JJ Redick opted to play the same five players for the entire second half — rather than play any of his bench players — in a crushing 116-113 defeat to go down 3-1 in the series.