The Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2025-26 season with title aspirations, but were knocked out in the Western Conference Semifinals by the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder completed the 4-0 sweep with a 115-110 win in Game 4 at Crypto.com Arena on Monday, and Lakers head coach JJ Redick made an admission in his postgame press conference.
Redick was asked about the importance of continuity as the Lakers chase that championship, and made it clear that some changes are needed.
“I believe in continuity,” Redick said, via Infanity TV. “… If you’re trying to win a championship… I’m trying to win a championship, I know [Rob Pelinka] is trying to win a championship, I know Jeanie [Buss] is, I know Mark [Walter] is. Like we’re trying to win a championship, and so you have to be realistic and assess where you’re at.
“And we’re not good enough right now,” Redick continued. “And there probably will be some continuity. There probably won’t be, but that’s what the next two months are for.”
The Lakers could have as many as eight rotation players hit free agency this summer. LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard, Maxi Kleber, and Jaxson Hayes are all out of contract after this season. Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart, and Deandre Ayton, meanwhile, have player options they can opt out of. It will be interesting to see how many the Lakers keep.
Reaves, Smart, Hachimura, Kennard, and Hayes might be the likeliest to be re-signed. James has made a pretty strong case, too, but it’s unclear if the Lakers want him and if he wants to stay.
Whether James stays or goes, the Lakers’ goal has to be to build the perfect team around Luka Doncic. That means bringing in the one archetype of player they were lacking this season, athletic wing defenders.
Now, Doncic’s absence was a big reason why the Lakers got swept by the Thunder. He missed the entire playoffs due to a Grade 2 left hamstring strain.
Even if Doncic had been healthy, though, the Thunder would have knocked the Lakers out. They don’t have the necessary defensive pieces to take down a juggernaut like that.
Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka has to ensure he brings in the right pieces next to Doncic, either in free agency or via trades. If he doesn’t, expect them to keep falling short in the postseason.
The Lakers will keep winning games in the regular season thanks to Doncic and also Redick, who has proven to be a very good coach. They were criticized for hiring him in 2024, as he had never even coached at the high school level before.
Redick led the Lakers to a 50-32 record in 2024-25. Keep in mind, he had to incorporate a big piece like Doncic midway through the campaign, and did that about as well as you could have hoped.
Redick would better that record in 2025-26, with the Lakers going 53-29. This was with James, Doncic, and Reaves missing significant portions of the campaign.
Now, Redick did deserve some blame for the Lakers losing in five games to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round in 2025. You can’t criticize him for this Thunder sweep, though. They are just a lot better than the Lakers.
Redick felt he and the coaching staff had maximized this group, and they had. If the Lakers’ top brass wants better results, they need to put better players on the roster.
