JJ Redick quoted the Hollywood blockbuster “Inception” as the head coach described the struggles of the Los Angeles Lakers last season.

During the 2023-24 NBA campaign, the Lakers were eliminated from the postseason at the hands of the Denver Nuggets with the iconic franchise outclassed in five games. Despite winning the inaugural in-season tournament earlier in the season – and leading the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals in 2022-23 – Darvin Ham’s tenure ended with the franchise after just two years.

Back in June, Redick – the former podcast co-host alongside LeBron James – was announced as the 29th head coach of the Lakers. Following his lengthy NBA career, Redick enjoyed a productive career as a podcaster, commentator, and media personality, and with such a background, fans were excited to see how the 40-year-old would perform in interviews.

With James and Anthony Davis another year older, the Lakers are preparing for an intriguing and unpredictable season. The franchise is in LIMBO – but the term is also used in basketball to describe what players are doing in the moments after makes and misses, in order to measure how quickly they recover.

Redick hopes the Lakers improve their LIMBO rate – and he used “Inception” to do so. He told reporters: “(The Lakers) have a LIMBO rate. LIMBO is you’re not crashing and you’re not getting back. We were the worst team in the league last year at a LIMBO rate.

“In an ideal world, everybody crashes and we deal with the consequences of that. So we’ve got to sort of emphasize that and emphasize staying out of limbo. I believe that was ‘Inception,’ we all know what happens when you get stuck in limbo.”

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JJ Redick's Lakers have lost to the Timberwolves and Suns in preseason

JJ Redick’s Lakers have lost to the Timberwolves and Suns in preseason ( 

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Getty Images)

Using metrics such as the LIMBO rate highlights the coach’s comments earlier this offseason, where he described himself as a “sicko and masochist” for taking the reins of the Lakers. Whether such comments suggest Redick expects a painful rookie season in charge of the purple-and-gold is unclear, but he is undoubtedly aware of the weight of his decision to start his coaching career in one of the biggest jobs in basketball.

While the Lakers have lost each of their first two preseason games, Redick – a Christopher Nolan fan – is confident his team is improving. He added: “I actually think we’ve done a pretty good job of getting good looks. There were a couple forced in transition and off of the dribble in the first half.

“Then there were a couple of offensive rebounds in the second half that I thought maybe we could have kept the ball moving and got a better shot. But I like the mindset overall to shoot when set, shoot good threes.”

The Lakers are next in preseason action against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Thursday, Oct. 10.