In a matchup of head coaches, JJ Redick got the best of Mark Daigneault in the Los Angeles Lakers' 126-99 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. That drew the season series at one win apiece, but more importantly, it was Luka Doncic's and LeBron James' method of sending a message to the West's top seed with the playoffs around the corner.
Daigneault and Redick are regarded as some of the best minds who pace the sidelines. Daigneault has the hardware to show as the reigning Coach of the Year. Redick has quieted his doubters as he made the controversial jump from an NBA media personality to a head coach.
Viewed as a potential playoff series preview, Daigneault and Redick exchanged compliments for each other. That shouldn't be a shocker. After all, Redick brought up the unpromptedly Thunder's head coach during his brief podcast with James last year.
Daigneault had the chance to talk about Redick's ascension as an NBA head coach. While he went through the more traditional work of working his way up from a college assistant to a G League head coach to an NBA assistant, he respects the former NBA player's journey and was impressed in their meetings when the Thunder became frequent visitors on the ESPN broadcast the last two seasons.
"I had no sense he was looking to coach. Those are 15-minute meetings. We're in there chopping it up. That was the first time I interacted with him but enjoyed my interactions with him and have talked to him since. He's doing a great job. He's got all the stuff it takes to be a good head coach I think," Daigneault said. "He's really, really bright. He's incredibly committed and competitive. He's a junkie in that way. I think even when he was doing TV, he was always very prepared. He knew your team and had seen your team. Knew your stats, knew your advanced stats. You can tell he was digging into the details, which I think is important in the modern NBA."
Redick remembered those meetings fondly. The basketball workhorse said those were always the favorite part of his demanding job. Not the "First Takes" guest appearances that went viral on social media every other day.
"That was my favorite part of my job when broadcasting games. Those 15 minutes you get to spend with the coaches pregame. I learned a lot. There's certain coaches you got really excited to talk to. Mark was one of those guys," Redick said. "I love how he views the game. I love how he views building a culture. That's something he established early here prior to them winning basketball games."
Redick admired Daigneault's coaching style. As the Thunder ascended from a rebuild to a title contender, he's also developed as a head coach. He went from a relative unknown locally to a household name in just five years.
"Somebody said to me last year that really stood out. I asked him about it. They won however many games they won last ...
