JJ Redick points out silver lining in coaching Lakers post losing house in LA wildfire: "I want to play tomorrow"

LA Lakers head coach JJ Redick and his family were some of the victims who lost their homes in the recent wildfires in Southern California. Due to this, the Lakers' Thursday game against the Charlotte Hornets was postponed.

Fortunately for the team, they were able to get through their game plan ahead of their game against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.

The Lakers were able to be in their practice facility to prepare for their bout against the Spurs. While devastated by the recent events, Redick is still with the team and is looking forward to being with his colleagues.

"I think I have a pretty strong ability to compartmentalize things," Redick said in Friday's practice. "Being here, for me, was great because it gave me something to look forward to, honestly. Being around the guys and coaching and I told them this -- we're prepared for whatever tomorrow."

Redick wants to be present for his team as he copes with the tragedy their community has gone through.

"I wanna play tomorrow, I wanna coach tomorrow. I want these guys to play tomorrow and if we can play, we'll play. I do believe that for everybody that has been impacted by this, there is a grieving process, there's a healing process. I can only speak for myself. Part of my healing and grieving process is being here."

Redick wants the Lakers back on the floor amid the tough times the city has faced over the past few days.

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JJ Redick wants to help rebuild his community

Before taking on the head coaching job in Los Angeles, JJ Redick and his family were situated in Brooklyn, New York. According to Redick, his wife, Chelsea Kilgore, enjoyed being on the East Coast and loved the community that accepted them.

He revealed that his wife didn't want to move away from Brooklyn. However, they received a warm welcome to the Pacific Palisades and the community welcomed them with open arms. Redick said the local circle has been helpful to him and his family.

With the recent tragedy that has ravaged and destroyed their community, Redick vowed to help restore it. The Lakers head coach and his family are committed to helping others and the rest to recover from the wildfires.

“For our family, we’re as committed as ever to Los Angeles,” he said. “We recognize, like it’s not just our community that has been impacted by this... We’re still figuring that out. It’s still pretty fresh, but, we’re committed to helping other people as much as we can. And we’re going to do that. And we recognize that it’s going to be a long process.”

As of this writing, there are four major wildfires in Los Angeles County, per CNN. Additionally, at least 11 people have died.