3 ways JJ Redick is already putting his stamp on the Lakers

There's always a temptation, especially at the beginning of a new head coach's tenure, to pick apart every in-game adjustment, every facial tic, and every postgame press conference in the hopes of determining whether the new guy has what it takes to lead a team to glory.

That's certainly been the case with new Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick, for a variety of reasons. First of all, duh, it's one of the most famous coaching jobs in sports, so of course it will be overanalyzed. Why do you think Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys and Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees probably haven't had a good night's sleep in half a decade?

Secondly, Redick's case is fairly unique because of his background. Like many coaches, he had a long and successful career as a player, but outside of a stint coaching eight- and nine-year-olds (which remains memorable for his crusade to ban zone defenses in youth basketball), he didn't bring any other previous coaching experience with him to the seat that has been occupied in the past by legends such as John Kundla, Pat Riley and Phil Jackson.

Steve Kerr has already proven that a former player can jump from the broadcaster's seat to an NBA bench and find success, and Redick is trying to do the same. Unlike Kerr, who inherited an up-and-coming roster that included three future Hall-of-Famers that were not yet at the peak of their powers in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green (not to take anything away from Kerr, who deserves all the credit he's received and then some for molding the Warriors into a modern dynasty), Redick has taken over a team, it's fair to say, whose best days are behind it.

When sorted by usage, the Lakers have the fourth-oldest average age in the NBA, ahead of only the Clippers, Bucks and Suns. That means that Redick has his work cut out for him to compete with the younger, more athletic teams in the league, but even though the Lakers are just 4-4, he's already done some good things to suggest that he may be up to the task. Let's look at three ways he's already putting his stamp on his new team.

1. Anthony Davis has become the focal point of the Lakers offense

It might seem obvious for anyone that has watched the Lakers this year, but Anthony Davis is their best player. Just because it's obvious though, doesn't mean that many coaches would have the courage to build their offense around Davis while effectively relegating LeBron James to a role as the second-in-command. Redick has done that, and it's clearly been the right move.

Davis is averaging a career high in points thanks to Redick's offense, which has placed an emphasis on getting the star big man the ball all over the court. Whereas in the past AD got most of his touches deep in the paint, now he's being trusted to initiate the offense in the high post or at the top of the key more often, and it's clearly working.

Davis' 32.6 points per game aren't just the best mark of his career, they also lead the entire league, which has put him squarely in the MVP conversation. The Lakers have been abysmal on both ends of the court when he sits, and even though LeBron poured in 39 points against the Grizzlies on Wednesday night, it still wasn't nearly enough to cover for Davis' absence (he missed the game after aggravating a foot injury against the Pistons on Monday), as the Lakers lost 131-114.

The biggest key for Redick will be keeping Davis and LeBron healthy all season. Putting so much on Davis' plate has produced results on the court, but none of that will matter if he can't replicate last year's durability.

2. The Lakers are attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line

An enormous part of the Lakers' early season success has been their ability to get to the free throw line. Redick's motion offense deserves a lot of credit, as it has resulted in a better flowing attack where the ball rarely stagnates.

Under Darvin Ham last year, the Lakers ranked 25th in passes per game. Through eight games this year, they're up to eighth. This has helped them get to the free throw line a ton, as they're often cutting to the basket and catching passes with a step on their man.

Only the Nuggets, with the unstoppable Nikola Jokic, have shot more free throws per game than the Lakers. This has helped keep the offense afloat as Redick's mandate to shoot more threes has struggled to take hold, though in Redick's defense, this is a roster that is really light on quality perimeter shooters.

The mark of a good coach is whether they can adjust their scheme to fit their personnel. Though the NBA has been trending towards almost a complete reliance on the 3-ball, and Redick's background as a player pegs him as someone that knows all there is to know about outside shooting, he hasn't forced the issue, because he knows this team isn't built for that, at least not yet.

3. Redick has made it known that a lack of effort won't be tolerated

Redick is in the news for the wrong reasons today after he abruptly left his postgame press conference following the loss to the Grizzlies. Take a look:

Many are viewing this as a sign of immaturity from someone that's supposed to be the leader of the organization (see also the reaction to his casual F-bomb from his introductory press conference). I don't view it that way.

As a graduate of UNC, I'll freely admit that Redick was at the top of my "most hated" list during his time as a member of the Duke Blue Devils. He was cocky, he was arrogant, he was the latest in a long line of Mike Krzyzewski proteges with extremely punchable faces ... but he was also really good. That's what made it so infuriating.

I may have thought that Redick and his attitude were the college basketball equivalent of "My dad will sue your dad," but I like what he's doing here. In his postgame presser, Redick went out of his way to praise LeBron for his superhuman effort, doing so in a way that made it clear that a 39-year-old, 22-year vet should not be outhustling the much younger players surrounding him.

That's demanding accountability, something that every coach needs but not every one succeeds in getting in the NBA. Redick didn't like the effort from his team at the end of a five-game road trip, and he let them know about it. Not just in the locker room, but in his press conference, where he knew it would be televised, talked about and written about. If you're D'Angelo Russell or Austin Reaves, wouldn't you be embarrassed? Wouldn't you want to give 110 percent the next time out? I know I would.

Redick singled Russell out for his poor effort and even said that although the fact that he played only 22 minutes wasn't a punishment, it was indicative of him feeling that Russell wasn't giving the Lakers the best chance to win. If Russell wasn't on trade notice before this, he definitely is now.

There are currently nine teams in the West that are over .500, and the Lakers are not one of them. This is a flawed roster. If Redick hopes to guide his team to a playoff spot, he's going to need to give them some tough love. Setting the tone early in the season that anything less than 100 percent effort won't be tolerated is a great move, even if it ruffles some feathers.