How has that worked for other teams? Pundit claims JJ Redick joins the Lakers with zero NBA coaching experience.

The Los Angeles Lakers will officially welcome JJ Redick as their new head coach on Monday. He has never before served as a coach in any capacity other than for his son’s youth basketball team, as you may have heard.

You’re not the only one who finds it odd that the NBA’s top team is selecting a rookie coach to guide it back into the title hunt. LeBron James, Redick’s podcast partner, is expected to opt out of his contract and enter free agency, so at best, the Lakers’ leadership is taking a risk, and at worst, they’re making a last-ditch effort to keep him happy.

Not only did Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, and Steve Kerr have much more experience when they were hired than Redick, but the Lakers also point to their previous successes to support their acquisition.

Before taking the helm as head coach in 1981, Riley spent portions of three seasons as Paul Westhead’s assistant. As the Miami Heat’s assistant coach and video coordinator, Spoelstra spent almost ten years working for Riley. Before signing with the Golden State Warriors, Kerr served as general manager of the Phoenix Suns for three years.

In the meantime, Redick has worked as an ESPN broadcaster and podcast host for three years since he retired.

That being said, Redick’s hiring isn’t totally strange. Notwithstanding the NBA’s lengthy history, it is uncommon for franchises to appoint former players who have never held a position of authority.

Let’s examine the other NBA teams who decided that NBA or college coaching experience wasn’t a requirement for the full-time position and how those decisions turned out in order to gauge exactly how large of a risk the Lakers are taking. Those coaches who actually worked in front-office operations, like Kerr, will be ranked last instead of first.

Now that Redick is taking the lead, let’s start with a tale that the Lakers probably don’t want you to consider.

Much more contentious than Redick’s hire, the Nets chose the Hall of Fame point guard to mentor Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Nash even went so far as to publicly acknowledge that he had cheated to become an NBA coach. Nash had hardly played basketball for years, save for a little consulting gig with the Golden State Warriors, so the hiring was, above all, unexpected.

It transpired approximately as predicted by Nash’s (and the Nets’) critics. Nash did not appear to be viewed as their head coach by Durant and Irving at all. To be more precise, it was a little more literal. Before their first game, Irving stated categorically that he didn’t think his team needed a head coach, but Durant referred to coaching as “a collaborative effort,” meaning that both he and Irving could be the team’s supervisors.

While the team was mired in controversy because of Irving, Nash managed to make it through two seasons, both of which ended in disappointing postseason outcomes.

One of these individuals was an experienced point guard who came directly from the Oklahoma City Thunder’s rotation to the head of the Knicks’ bench. Phil Jackson is to blame.

Jackson, who had just been appointed president of the New York Knicks, sought a coach who was well-versed in his triangle offense. Fisher and Jackson shared five titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. They were able to move Shane Larkin and Quincy Acy into deals, and they also convinced Carmelo Anthony to resign.

The outcome was horrible. After lost nine of his final ten games, Fisher was sacked after a season and a half. Although he never was able to find another NBA coaching position, he eventually got employment with the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.