JJ Redick shares honest feelings on ex-teammate Dwight Howard's Hall of Fame induction ahead of Lakers vs Magic showdown

JJ Redick made just one trip to the NBA Finals during his playing career. That was in 2009 when he played for the Orlando Magic alongside the prime version of athletic big man Dwight Howard.

Howard was inducted into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame on Monday afternoon. Redick, who was in town for the LA Lakers's road game against the Magic, spoke glowingly about his newly minted Hall of Fame teammate from the Orlando days:

"He was a superstar. He was as dominant as any player, not just big, in the league during that time period," Redick said of Howard.

JJ Redick, who played for over six years with the Magic, recalled how Howard contended for the MVP award while playing together. He also shared a story about how Orlando found their winning formula — that is, surrounding Dwight Howard with shooters like Redick, Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis — by happenstance:

"We kind of stumbled by accident to that four out, one in lineup because Tony Battie hurt his shoulder in preseason in 2007, 2008," Redick recalled. "We just developed a system around that, and Dwight was the centerpiece. It was great."

In 2009, the Howard-led Magic beat the Philadelphia 76ers, defending champions Boston Celtics, and a Cleveland Cavaliers team - spearheaded by LeBron James - to reach the NBA finals. In the championship series, however, Orlando lost in five games to Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers.

Over a decade later, Dwight Howard would finally win an NBA title. He did so as part of the Lakers, a team now coached by his former sharpshooter, Redick.

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JJ Redick gets candid on Lakers' mindset heading into the playoffs

Having gone as far as the NBA Finals in his career, JJ Redick knows what it takes for a team to reach the grandest stage in the league. However, he didn't quite see this when the LA Lakers were blown out by the Chicago Bulls Saturday.

After the Lakers's 31-point loss at home, Redick opened up on the mindset that his team needs to have as the postseason looms on the horizon:

"You gotta get reconnected...our group, we'll get there," Redick said in the post-game interview. "We, however, don't have a lot of time to do that. It's gotta be now. It can't be in a week, it can't be in two weeks. It's gotta be now." [Timestamp - 1:50]

Redick, of course, hopes that the Lakers' clash against the Orlando Magic on Monday will start the purple and gold squad "reconnecting" with its best version.