It turns out that JJ Redick took a great deal of initiative in helping the Los Angeles Lakers acquire Jake LaRavia, a decision that the team is greatly benefiting from in the early stages of the 2025-2026 NBA season.
After being eliminated in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs by Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves, many wondered what upgrades the Lakers would make to their roster in the offseason.
While the majority of focus was given to other stars they acquired, such as Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart, not many knew that signing LaRavia to a two-year deal worth $12 million was the real game-changer for the team, which has started the season with a record of seven wins and three losses.
JJ Redick Called Jake LaRavia and Urged Him To Sign With the Los Angeles Lakers
Heading into the season, fans were unaware that LeBron James would be sidelined due to injury. After news broke out revealing that the four-time NBA champion would miss several weeks to start the season, LaRavia realized that he had to step up and fill the all-time leading scorer’s shoes.
Being thrust into a system built around Luka Dončić and expected to play big minutes, LaRavia has not disappointed the team. In fact, an argument could be made that he has been the third-best player on the squad, behind Austin Reaves and Dončić, throughout the first 10 games of the season.
LaRavia has averaged a decent 12.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists so far this season. His efficient shooting, making 55.6% of his shot attempts and 41.2% from the 3-point line, is something that no one saw coming when he joined the Lakers.
However, LaRavia’s agent recently revealed that a single phone call between the Lakers’ head coach and LaRavia was more than enough to convince the NBA star to join the team.
“The level of detail JJ and Rob went into on that call was unmatched. JJ knew his game better than anyone. I actually thought Jake was going to end up on another team. However, as soon as we hung up, Jake, Reg and I knew LA was the spot for Jake. Amazing moment.”
The level of detail JJ and Rob went into on that call was unmatched. JJ knew his game better than anyone. I actually thought Jake was going to end up on another team. However, as soon as we hung up, Jake, Reg and I knew LA was the spot for Jake. Amazing moment@TheRealReggieB https://t.co/cuGFgpE7oZ
— Aaron Reilly (@AMRAgency) November 10, 2025
Redick, who was recently interviewed, broke down the unique skill set and abilities that he believed would make LaRavia a valuable asset to the Lakers, even before joining the team.
“I’m not surprised. There’s a reason why he was the first person I called in free agency…I felt like he could do a lot of things at a high level and so many times in this league we have the superstar and then we have the specialist. A lot of roster construction works that way.”
Redick continued, “And frankly, there’s not a ton of guys that don’t fall into one of those two archetypes, whether you’re a rim-running, rim-protecting big, you’re a 3-and-D guy, you’re a movement shooter, you’re an on-ball defender. There’s all these archetypes, there’s not a lot of archetypes for the guy that can do a little bit of everything well.”
LaRavia has been playing just under 30 minutes a game for the Lakers, a sign that Redick believes in his abilities. Fans are left wondering if LaRavia will be able to revert to a lesser role for the team once James returns to the lineup.
