JJ Redick was in good spirits after the Los Angeles Lakers won 128-123 against the Memphis Grizzlies. Speaking in the post-game press conference, he was asked about his thoughts on Dalton Knecht, who had a big-time performance, especially in the second half. Redick had high praise for the rookie, crediting him with the Lakers’ comeback in the second half to win the game.
“I thought he [Knecht] was the catalyst for our comeback. It wasn’t just AD being in foul trouble and time and score, it was also just the energy. We, for whatever reason, were having trouble getting stops, and had some turnovers, didn’t execute, and we kind of lost our life a little bit.”
“And I thought those back-to-back ones were huge. Got the crowd into it, got our bench into it, gave us a new life. He was fantastic. Not just shooting the ball. We’ve been challenging him lately to just be tougher, and be more in tune with our game plan. Not going to say it was perfect. But baby steps, he was great tonight.”
Redick on Dalton Knecht: "I thought he was the catalyst for our comeback." pic.twitter.com/5MXQiegjt7
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 14, 2024
Knecht had a great game against the Grizzlies. Coming off the bench, he put up 19 points (7-8 FG), two rebounds, three assists and one steal. Knecht had a blinder of a night from beyond the arc, going 5-5 from the three-point line, including two massive three-pointers that helped the Lakers gain momentum and get the eventual win.
Redick also spoke about a host of different topics. You can find some of the highlights from his press conference below.
On LeBron James‘ incredible triple-double:
“Just by any means sometimes. Great players, you sort of have to give them some autonomy at times. We executed back-to-back plays out of an ATL. We got a LeBron dunk, and then we got an AD three. There was another timeout on their side. Bron saw something in the way that they had guarded it the first two times…”
“‘Just want to make sure you three are on the same page, the other guys are doing the same thing’. Bron gets a back-cut for a dunk so. He’s a master of the game and we don’t win that game obviously, without him.”
On the Lakers’ team performance:
“I thought it was a total team effort because we had some adversity tonight. Christian [Koloko] was great in the second half, and even just, our life and our energy on the bench completely shifted. Even the guys that didn’t play tonight, their energy on the bench, that was huge for us. We lost our way there in the third quarter.”
On Anthony Davis‘ performance:
“Game of composure and poise for him. Didn’t get it going offensively early, but I felt comfortable playing him with a little bit of foul trouble when he got the fifth, obviously, we had to take him out of the game.”
“But I think throughout the game, there were times he could have gotten frustrated and he didn’t, he just stayed the course. He was huge down the stretch, the threes, the iso jumper out of our flow set, and getting to the foul line right after that. Just impressed with the poise and composure from AD tonight.”
Redick’s Lakers are now 7-4 for the season and are sixth in the Western Conference. Despite the concerns about Redick’s inexperience as a head coach, the team has been able to thrive under him and play at a high level. Despite a rough stretch while they were on the road, the Lakers have been able to register a winning record so far.
Things Finally Clicking For The Lakers
After an abysmal road trip, where the Lakers finished 1-4, JJ Redick’s men have been able to regain their momentum from the start of the season. So far, the Lakers are undefeated at home, going 6-0 whenever they play at the Crypto.com Arena. And they would like to hold on to this strong momentum at home, as it will be very useful come playoff time.
The Lakers will need to improve on the road, and they get their first opportunity to do so on Saturday night, as they travel to San Antonio to take on the Spurs in their first game of the NBA Cup. The Lakers became the inaugural NBA Cup winners last season and would love to defend their title this time around.
Of course, the Lakers have been performing well thanks to their star players, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. James had a sensational game last night, as he registered a triple-double with 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 14 assists. It was his third consecutive triple-double in the last three games, and his fourth this season, to which he shared his honest reaction after the game.
This season, James is averaging 24.3 points, 9.4 assists, 8.1 rebounds, 0.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game.
As for Anthony Davis, he has also started the season off strong, despite a shaky performance Last night. Davis put up 21 points (6-16 FG), 14 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. And for the season, he is averaging 30.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game.
If the All-Star duo continues performing at this level, then the Lakers must be mentioned in conversations for potential NBA championship winners this season.
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