Stephen A. Smith raves about former colleague JJ Redick's coaching with Lakers surging in Luka Doncic era

Stephen A. Smith didn't mince words when praising former ESPN colleague JJ Redick's work with the LA Lakers. Despite having zero experience coaching at the highest level, Redick was given the keys to the car of the most iconic NBA franchise, which many initially considered a mistake.

During Wednesday's edition of "First Take," Smith praised Redick's first season leading the Lakers, naming him a Coach of the Year candidate while pointing out the team is excelling on the defensive end.

"What do you say about JJ Redick? You gotta give our former colleague love," Smith said. "He's a Coach of the Year candidate, I don't think he's ahead of Bickerstaff (Pistons head coach), but I think he's right there with he job that he's doing in LA. They are the No. 1 defense over the last seven weeks."

The LA Lakers posted the best defensive rating in the league (107.2) in February despite losing one of the best paint defenders, Anthony Davis. They won 10 games and lost only two, with Luka Doncic buying into JJ Redick's idea from the start and becoming a more reliable defender. They also averaged 8.7 steals and 4.5 blocks per game and allowed 14.2 second-chance points (11th in the league).

The Lakers' 136-115 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday was the first time in seven games that they allowed the opponents to score over 102 points.

With a 39-21 record, the Lakers are the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, trailing the seemingly unbeatable OKC Thunder (50-11) by 10.5 games. The Denver Nuggets (39-22) and Memphis Grizzlies (38-23) are closely following the Lakers.

Nick Wright calls out JJ Redick critics amid impressive Lakers season

While Stephen A. Smith named JJ Redick a Coach of the Year candidate, Nick Wright went after the rookie coach's doubters. Once his hiring was announced, many questioned Redick's ability to lead a team like the Lakers and others said LeBron James would use him as a scapegoat if everything went wrong.

During Monday's episode of "First Thing First," Wright had a major clap back to Redick's doubters.

"Is it still LeBron James hired his podcast partner? Because if he did, does he get to share the Coach of the Year trophy if JJ wins it?" Wright said. "How does it work? LeBron traded for Russell Westbrook but made them trade for Anthony Davis."

This decision was controversial, but Redick proved his worth despite a rocky beginning.