JJ Redick, frustrated Lakers coach: “We don’t care enough right now”
On Christmas Day the Lakers lost their third straight game, an ugly 23-point loss to the Houston Rockets. This comes on the heels of a 24-point loss to the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers are 2-4 in their last six games with the worst defense in the NBA over that stretch with a net rating of -10.9 over that stretch.
After the game, a frustrated JJ Redick vented to his team, citing away ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
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“We don’t care enough right now,” Redick said. “And that’s the part that bothers you a lot. We don’t care enough about doing the things that are necessary. We don’t care enough about being professional…
“Saturday’s practice – I told the boys – will be uncomfortable,” Redick said. “The match will be uncomfortable. I won’t play another 53 games like this.”
Redick made similar comments after the loss to the Suns days earlier, saying of his team’s defense: “It’s all about making the choice. It’s about making the choice.”
Three quick thoughts.
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1) It’s understandable that Redick is frustrated with his team’s losses and play lately. Lakers fans are too. He’s understandably frustrated with the athletic gap between his team and some of the other top six teams in the West — like Houston, San Antonio and Oklahoma City — but this is less about effort and more about roster construction. This is a team that gave up Jordan Goodwin to free up roster space for veteran Marcus Smart, and Goodwin goes to Phoenix and thrives with an athletic roster.
2) The idea that the Lakers’ biggest problem is simply the need to play harder – “We don’t care enough” or “it’s about making a choice” – both seem slightly outdated in today’s high-paced NBA and won’t play well in the locker room long term. The “we just need to play harder” card is one a coach can only pull once or twice a season, and Redick has pulled it twice in the last week.
3) The Lakers’ roster was clearly going to struggle defensively even before the season started: playing together with Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves (who is expected to miss time with a sore calf) and LeBron James, close to turning 41, was always going to be a problem. Dallas, a couple of years ago, showed the model for winning and reaching the NBA Finals with Luka Doncic – surrounding him with shooting, athleticism and defense – and the Lakers didn’t fit that model.
Redick makes no mistake in trying to push his players, but the Lakers are what they were built for. Redick can turn things around, but at the end of the game these are the cards he was dealt. Welcome to coaching in the NBA.