Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick expressed his enthusiasm about the recent trade that brought Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton to the team from the Brooklyn Nets. The trade sent D’Angelo Russell and Maxwell Lewis to Brooklyn in return.
“Dorian gives us another defender,” Redick said. “He’s a guy that has guarded multiple positions throughout his career. He’s worked to become an elite spot-up catch-and-shoot three-point shooter. Just excited to have him.”
Redick also praised Milton, who brings scoring and playmaking abilities to the Lakers. “Shake is another guy that can handle the ball and score the basketball and shoot the basketball. I think those guys are going to be great for our group both on and off the court,” Redick added.
The coach also addressed the role of Finney-Smith, who has started almost his entire career. “I already talked to him about it. We’re in a good spot with our starting group right now, so he’ll play and he’ll come off the bench,” Redick explained. “It doesn’t matter to him if he’s starting or coming off the bench.”
Despite his strong preference for consistency in the starting lineup, Redick emphasized flexibility. “I’m not going to be stubborn and lock into something that’s not working, but it’s working right now,” he said.
Interestingly, Redick was teammates with both Finney-Smith and Milton during his playing career. Reflecting on his transition to coaching, he shared that his connection with current players influenced his decision.
“One of the reasons why I wanted to coach now is because of that,” Redick said. “I wanted to do it now because I was still young, and I had something going in the media space with ESPN. But if I was going to do this, I wanted to do it now and part of that reason was just the connectivity I had with players still in the league.”
The newcomers could make their Lakers debut tonight at Crypto.com Arena against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
