JJ Redick Reveals One Major Difference Between Coaching and Playing in the Postseason

Redick is experiencing his first playoff series as a head coach.

Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick stands on the sidelines. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

JJ Redick is experiencing his first NBA postseason as a head coach this year as the Los Angeles Lakers face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

This isn't Redick's first time experiencing the NBA playoffs in general—he played in 13 postseasons over his 17 years in the league. Competing in that many important postseason games allowed Redick to not overreact after a single bad night during his playing years, as some of his teams overcame a Game 1 loss to win the series.

But, as a coach? That calmness has disappeared.

“I've been in enough of these to know that you can't overreact to one game," Redick said, via NBA insider Mark Medina. "As a coach, you overreact to everything. So that's a little different."

Redick is referencing the fact that the Lakers lost Game 1 to the Timberwolves on Saturday night. Minnesota needs to win a total of four games to advance to the conference semifinals, so there's definitely still time for the Lakers to come back and win the series. But, it sounds like Redick is "overreacting" to that first loss, and, in doing so, he's getting a completely different playoff experience than the one he knew in his previous life as a player.

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