Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick once dreamed of playing with Marcus Smart. And while that dream won’t ever become reality, Redick will get to do the next best thing in the 2025-26 season: coach Smart.
Shortly after news broke that Smart had inked a two-year deal with the Lakers, a five-year-old clip of Redick praising Smart resurfaced on social media, going viral instantly. In the clip, Redick claimed that he’d want Smart on his team because of the passion with which the former Defensive Player of the Year competes for every loose ball.
“I love Marcus, and I think, you know, he’s like, if I’m picking a basketball team, I want him on my team,” Redick had said on his podcast in September 2020.
“He gets under guys’ skin. He competes. There’s a level of flopping to the Marcus Smart experience, but I think that overshadows all the other amazing stuff he does.”
Redick Hated Being Guarded by Smart
The retired sharpshooter further revealed that he had a tough time getting his shots up when hounded by Smart, specifically during his time as a member of the 76ers.
“He’s a guy that just makes winning plays consistently,” Redick said of Smart.
“When I was in Philly, and even my last couple of years in LA, when Marcus and Jaylen would guard me a lot, there was some banter back and forth at times, but ultimately, by the end of my time in Philly, the three of us just had a mutual level of respect.”
“I sort of acknowledged that to them, and they did to me, verbally. So, there’s no ill will at all from my part toward Marcus. I actually just enjoy watching him play. I like guys that compete like that.”
What Smart Brings to the Lakers
Redick’s comments were made during his tenure with the Pelicans in the latter part of the 2019-20 season, which relocated to Orlando due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Doncic has been credited for recruiting Smart to the Lakers, one wonders if Redick’s past comments swayed Smart to join Los Angeles. According to multiple insiders, Smart chose the Lakers over other teams such as the New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns.
“Lakers star Luka Doncic made a direct recruiting pitch to Marcus Smart this week that resonated with the veteran guard, league sources tell @TheSteinLine, after Smart’s agent Jason Glushon was granted permission by the [Washington] Wizards to explore potential post-buyout landing spots,” NBA insider Marc Stein reported via X.
The overriding consensus is that Smart, one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, will help the Lakers overcome the shortcomings of Doncic and Austin Reaves, two guards who were exposed for their paltry defense in the 2025 playoffs.
Smart averaged 9.3 points, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 18.7 minutes off the bench for the Washington Wizards last season. However, those statistics can be misleading, considering that the Wizards were reportedly tanking to secure a top draft pick. Smart himself hinted previously that he wasn’t motivated to be part of a losing team.
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