When the Los Angeles Lakers hired JJ Redick as their new head coach, he spoke about the importance of using analytics and really getting the best out of every player on the roster. It wouldn’t just be about the talent on the Lakers roster, but schemes and gameplans to maximize that talent.

So far things have gone pretty well for Redick and the Lakers, who currently sit at fifth in a very competitive Western Conference. But for everything that goes into a team’s success, Redick revealed that he had a revelation about what really matters in winning in the NBA.

The Lakers coach spoke after victory over the Portland Trail Blazers and said that while everything else is important, the most important thing for a team is simply to play hard and if you do that, you’ve got a chance to win, via Dan Woike of the L.A. Times:

“I had this revelation, like I don’t know, six weeks ago, two months ago,” Redick said. “And the math stuff, it’s important. Like it really is. Try to generate high-value shots. You strategize around throw-aheads and what those create, like all that stuff. It’s super important. Game plan defensively, it’s all important. Guys have to communicate, all that stuff. There’s actually only one cheat code in the NBA, and that’s playing hard. If you play hard every night, you have a chance to win. If you don’t play hard every night, you’re probably going to lose.

“…You give yourself a chance to win every night if you play hard.”

A team can have the best gameplan and strategy coming into a game, but sometimes it’s a matter of who wants it more. If a team comes out with a higher level of energy and willingness to do whatever it takes to win, often times they will be successful and that is what Redick wants to see with this Lakers team.

Helping Redick’s cause is the fact that the team leader, LeBron James, sets the tone in that matter every single day. A 40-year old superstar in his 22nd season grinding every single day allows for no excuses for the rest of the team. And with the talent on this Lakers team, going out and playing harder than the opposition allows for an even higher chance for success every night.

JJ Redick showers LeBron James with praise following Lakers’ win over Trail Blazers

It was LeBron James who led the way for the Lakers in that victory over the Trail Blazers, a game that was won in large part due to L.A. overall effort on the second night of a back-to-back. And afterwards, JJ Redick heaped a ton of praise on his superstar.

Redick says that James defies everything that’s normal not just on the court, but with his overall mentality and willingness to put in the work on a daily basis. Redick added that LeBron’s mindset is the most incredible thing about him.

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