While the injury-riddled Los Angeles Lakers brace for a tough first-round showdown with the Houston Rockets, head coach JJ Redick isn’t coaching for his job- at least not according to those inside the building. With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves sidelined indefinitely, the Lakers’ focus is simple: survive and extend the series long enough to get their backcourt healthy. And while outside pressure is building around Redick’s future, sources say the front office has already made up its mind.

According to NBA insider Jovan Buha, speaking on the Run It Back podcast Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers are fully committed to JJ Redick- even if they’re bounced in the first round by the Houston Rockets. The speculation picked up steam after Jeff Teague floated the idea on the Club 520 Podcast last week, tying it to Redick’s recent sideline clash with Jarred Vanderbilt. But Buha shut that down completely, saying there’s no truth to the idea that Redick’s job is on the line.

“I’ll shut that down. They (Lakers) love JJ (Redick),” Buha replied. “I mean, this is a guy that they handpicked, right? There’s a lot of skepticism. Oh, this guy’s a podcaster. And you know, he had gotten some buzz as a coaching candidate, but you still had to take the leap of faith in hiring him, having zero NBA coaching experience. This is a guy that they’ve compared internally to Pat Riley. And that’s a very serious comparison internally for the Lakers, right? It’s Pat’s second-greatest coach in Lakers history, behind Phil Jackson. So no, the JJ is in great standing back to back 51 seasons back to back, going higher than the preseason projections in terms of wind loss and seeding. We’ll see how the playoffs go. And, you know, but I don’t think that, I mean, yeah, he’s not in jeopardy at all.”

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The Los Angeles Lakers’ desire for stability didn’t come out of nowhere- it’s a direct response to years of turnover on the sidelines. Before hiring JJ Redick, the franchise cycled through Luke Walton, Frank Vogel, and Darvin Ham in quick succession.

Walton lasted three seasons without a playoff berth, Vogel delivered a championship in 2020 but was fired less than two years later, and Ham was dismissed after just two seasons despite back-to-back playoff appearances.

That kind of churn made it clear the organization needed a long-term plan rather than another reset.

That’s a big reason why Redick’s hiring came with patience baked in, and why comparisons to Pat Riley aren’t just throwaway praise. Like Redick, Riley took over the Lakers with no prior NBA head coaching experience and quickly grew into a franchise-defining figure, winning multiple championships and becoming one of the most respected minds in the sport.

The parallel isn’t about results- at least not yet- but about belief. The front office is betting that Redick, despite his inexperience, can follow a similar path: grow into the role, command the locker room, and bring long-term stability to one of the league’s most high-pressure jobs.

That said, it hasn’t all been smooth. Redick has rubbed some role players the wrong way, and those moments haven’t gone unnoticed. The tension boiled over in their recent loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, when Jarred Vanderbilt was visibly frustrated after getting pulled just 17 seconds into the second quarter, leading to a heated, very public exchange on the sideline.

He also downplayed the heated sideline moment with Jarred Vanderbilt, saying, “Nothing personal with him. Normal stuff from my end,” and, “Being undermanned, we’ve got to scrap and claw. We’ve got to all be on the same page, be great teammates, and all play hard.”

Following this incident, former NBA star Jeff Teague came up with a bold statement against Redick. “Oh, he did that to an NBA player?… He won’t be the coach next year. He’s gonna get fired. People are gonna stop liking him… You gotta take the blame… Your players need to know you f— with them.”

Calling for JJ Redick’s job off one sideline incident feels like an overreaction- especially when you zoom out. He’s had the Los Angeles Lakers trending in the right direction, guiding them to 51+ wins in each of the past two seasons.

This year, they finished fourth in the Western Conference, outperforming most preseason expectations. There’s a fair argument they could’ve climbed even higher if injuries hadn’t hit at the worst possible time.

And that’s the real issue heading into the series against the Houston Rockets. Both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves went down in the loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder- Doncic with a hamstring strain and Reaves dealing with an oblique injury.

As things stand, neither is expected to be available at the start of the first-round matchup, leaving the Lakers shorthanded right when they can least afford it.

Lakers HC JJ Redick shares depressing update around Doncic & Reaves’ injury

The Los Angeles Lakers are in an extremely vulnerable position as they have lost their two most important players in the roster in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who have topped the scoring for the franchise this season.

Whenever they have played together, they have won the majority of the games courtesy of their volume scoring. However, JJ Redick’s men will have to be without these two backcourt players in the playoffs.

Any optimism about Doncic and AR returning early in the series has taken a serious hit. There was initial hope the duo could be back by Game 3 or 4 against the Houston Rockets, but JJ Redick quickly shut that down.

Speaking to reporters during Tuesday’s media availability, Redick didn’t leave much room for interpretation: “They’re out indefinitely… I’m not going to have an update for you this week.”

Luka has since traveled to Europe for treatment, while Reaves continues his rehab in Los Angeles.

All of that shifts the spotlight squarely onto LeBron James. With the Lakers suddenly without their top two scoring options, LeBron goes from being part of a three-headed attack to the clear focal point overnight.

He already showed signs of taking over down the stretch of the regular season, leading the team to three straight wins to close things out- but asking him to carry that load deep into a playoff series is a completely different challenge.

That’s now the Lakers’ reality: no timeline, no safety net- just LeBron and whatever help the rest of the roster can provide.

However, the 41-year-old is unfazed by such changes, revealing that he embraced a third-option role solely because it aligned with the team’s philosophy- not because his performance had declined in his 23rd NBA season.

LeBron has single-handedly won games in the past, but even his extraordinary talent, caliber, and longevity may not be enough against the Houston Rockets- a far more dynamic, well-equipped, and versatile unit bolstered by the likes of Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and others.

The Lakers will need a monumental collective effort to advance past the first round of the playoffs.