"We Used To Run Every First Play For Him": Doc Rivers Looks Back On Coaching JJ Redick During Their Clippers Stint
Oct 16, 2025
Doc Rivers has been around a number of NBA teams during his coaching career. At one point, he led the way for a veteran sharpshooter by the name of JJ Redick.
These days, Rivers now goes up against Redick, who is entering his second season as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Still, Rivers has not forgotten his days of drawing up plays for Redick when they were with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Rivers brought up Redick when he sat down with ESPN analyst Tim Legler on the new “Coaches Corner” segment. The Milwaukee Bucks head coach revealed a coaching habit that he had during the Clippers’ “Lob City” days in the 2010s.
“We used to run every first play of the game for JJ,” Rivers told Legler. “He was one of the best first-quarter players of all time. “I would get the players before the game [and I’d say], ‘JJ’s gonna score on the first play.’ We’d laugh about it.”
During the peak of Rivers’ stint with the Clippers, he had one of the most balanced rosters in the NBA. Redick was a perfect complement to space the floor for dominant big men Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, while Chris Paul took care of orchestrating plays for the entire squad.
During his seven-season stint with the team, Rivers led the Clippers to six playoff appearances. They reached the second round twice but could never get to the Western Conference Finals.
As for Redick, he averaged 15.8 ppg on 44.0% shooting from beyond the arc in his time with the Clippers. For the most part, he was a mainstay of the starting lineup, earning Rivers’ trust not only with his impeccable sniping but also with his effort to move around the court and navigate screens to get open.
From setting up opportunities for Redick to score, Rivers has transitioned into scouting the plays designed by Redick to get his Lakers to a hot start. Though Redick undoubtedly learned a lot from Rivers during their time together, he certainly has tricks and hacks that all other NBA coaches will have to watch out for.
When the Bucks and the Lakers meet anew this season, Rivers won’t be in a laughing mood. Instead, he and Redick will be playing a chess match to see who gets to score first and, more importantly, score more.
