“My Coach Knows Ball” – JJ Redick Praised for Investing in ‘Haliburton Stocks’ Years before Superstar Shouts

Lakers HC JJ Redick has been making the headlines lately for his comments regarding Tyrese Haliburton back in 2022 as an NBA analyst.

“My Coach Knows Ball” – JJ Redick Praised for Investing in ‘Haliburton Stocks’ Years before Superstar Shouts

Tyrese Haliburton and JJ Redick (Image by FirstSportz)

The Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton has been an emerging star for a while, but in recent weeks, he has emerged as one of the NBA’s most lethal players. Many people believed he was overrated throughout the regular season, and he wasn’t even selected for this year’s All-Star team. Now, he has been turning heads as the whole NBA community has his attention.

Why? Haliburton has been one of the most clutch players this 2024-25 NBA season. He has carried his form to the NBA Playoffs, eliminating the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks. Not only that, but Haliburton also scored the epic last-second game winner against the Thunder, adding to his already-good season.

JJ Redick, the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, might have anticipated some of this. Redick stated unequivocally that Haliburton was the best player on the Sacramento Kings until they moved him to the Indiana Pacers in February 2022 for Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, and Jeremy Lamb, along with Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson.

This is some form of malpractice on the Kings’ part,” Redick said of the trade. “… Tyrese Haliburton has been the best player on that team. … He was determined to turn things around and be part of that rebuild in Sacramento. I know he’s shocked right now, but they traded away their best player.

JJ Redick said

These remarks have surely left the NBA community baffled, with many praising Redick’s ability to recognize a talent like Haliburton. The current Pacers star man was starting in the Kings’ backcourt with De’Aaron Fox when they selected him with the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Fox, however, was the better player at that time among the two and remained a mainstay on the roster.

Indiana is currently only three victories away from an NBA title under Haliburton, who led the league in assists per game the previous season. Sacramento, on the other hand, missed the playoffs the previous two seasons but qualified in 2023 as the third seed in the Western Conference.

Fans left ecstatic after coming across JJ Redick’s remarks regarding Tyrese Haliburton in 2022

The Lakers’ HC, JJ Redick, is known for his intelligence of the game. His ability to recognize upcoming talent was proven after his remarks regarding Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton in 2022 (as mentioned above). This video recently resurfaced on various social media sites, leaving fans in awe of the Lakers’ HC’s judgment.

Many fans took to various social media apps to put forward their views and thoughts on this matter. One fan wrote on X, “My coach knows ball (except for when he didn’t play Knecht at all in the playoffs).” Check out some of the reactions below:

All Haliburton has accomplished since joining the Pacers is lead the team to its first NBA Finals campaign since 2000 and two Eastern Conference Finals. He is rapidly becoming one of the league’s best clutch players and has been selected to two All-Star teams. For good measure, Haliburton was additionally selected for two All-NBA teams.

JJ Redick knew about the Pacers’ potential all along as he called them ‘a tough out in the East’

Earlier in the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers faced off against the Indiana Pacers in a hard-fought battle. The result ended in the Lakers’ favor as they won by just one point, claiming a 120-119 victory. After the game, the Lakers’ HC JJ Redick made a bold comment about the Eastern Conference side. It looks as if his words have come to fruition.

Frankly, [The Pacers] don’t ever, ever get talked about enough nationally… They are going to be a tough out in the East again.

JJ Redick said

Just as Redick said this, a few months later, the Indiana Pacers are battling it out with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 2025 NBA title. Not only that, they have also clinched Game 1 of the NBA Finals, adding more drama to this series, with the Thunder being touted to win the 2025 NBA title. It remains to be seen how this situation unfolds.

Also Read: