It’s no secret that Lakers head coach JJ Redick has a great basketball mind. His desire to share his knowledge and put it to use is what made him a great podcaster and an effective coach for the Lakers.
Thanks to his desire to teach and his relative youth, he’s well connected with players and can relate to them better than most head coaches.
One of the players he has a bond with is Quentin Grimes, who will reportedly be a Laker next season.
When Grimes did a podcast appearance on “The Young Man and
the Three,” he discussed how he worked out with Redick earlier in his career.
Someone as hyper-focused on being a basketball sicko as Redick is wouldn’t waste his free time on someone who didn’t match his energy.
If Redick was willing to work out with Grimes on multiple occasions and also let him stay at his guest house, clearly he is fond of his game and the person he is. Based on his comments on the time he’s spent with Redick, Grimes seems to be a fan of his as well.
According to Dan Woike’s reporting in The Athletic, this bond was not a secret to the Lakers.
Team and league sources have long known JJ Redick to be a fan of Grimes, who was a priority target this summer.
Based on their past relationship, it seems a safe bet that both Grimes and Redick will be working in tandem to ensure this is a career year for Grimes.
He averaged 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game last season. Grimes also shot 33.4% from 3-point range.
The best year of his career so far was his 2024-25 NBA season when he was briefly teammates with Luka Dončić in Dallas. He averaged 14.6 points and shot 38.5% from deep while playing with the Mavericks and the Sixers that year.
Given their history, Grimes’ familiarity with Redick, and the Lakers’ need for him to be a great scoring guard, the environment seems primed for good results.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
