The Lakers lost to the Rockets 96-119 on Christmas Day. Subsequently, their head coach, JJ Redick, publicly warned some players to anticipate an “uncomfortable” practice before their next game, which is against the Kings tonight.
And he also called them out for their lack of effort and not caring. While the NBA world was in shock that Redick was finally holding individuals on his team accountable, Deandre Ayton seemed to believe that the media misinterpreted Redick’s comments.
Ayton spoke to the media and indirectly addressed how Redick’s comments influenced the atmosphere in practice. However, Deandre Ayton seemed to believe the media did not need to take the Lakers’ head coach’s words as seriously as they did.
“And y’all bought into that?” said Ayton in disbelief when the media asked him about whether the energy had changed at practice.
“I’m not going to tell y’all. I’m not saying anything,” said Ayton when the media inquired about what he meant.
This is how Deandre Ayton made @DanWoikeSports day better 😆
Asked about JJ Redick making today uncomfortable, Deandre Ayton responds: “And y’all bought into that?!” pic.twitter.com/Fc3bzPCWjq
— Law Murray 🎄 (@LawMurrayTheNU) December 27, 2025
During the same interview, Ayton expressed his gratitude for being a Lakers player every day.
“It was a great practice; it is never a bad time here, whether we lose or win.”
“Sounds like you’re having a bad day. We ain’t having a bad day. We never have a bad day. I play for the Los Angeles Lakers, man, every day is a good day.”
“We’re waking up, looking at these banners, feeling all motivational, every day is a new opportunity to get better. Bad day or good day, I don’t really have those,” concluded Ayton.
While the Lakers center seemingly separated himself from the problem, JJ Redick’s comments and observations from fans on social media indicate that it was mainly directed at LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
Ayton also ensured to point out that not everyone on the team can go up to tell LeBron James what to do. Therefore, indirectly hinting that as players and teammates, there’s not much he can do when it comes to holding James accountable for a lack of defensive effort.
This does not fully negate the seriousness of the comments from JJ Redick, who later also pointed to James’ return as the point at which the Lakers’ coaching strategies became random.
However, it further confirms the possibility that Redick was only addressing the star players. Just because practice was not uncomfortable for Ayton does not mean Redick did not stay true to his words with the star players.
Ayton had 10 points and only two rebounds in the Christmas Day matchup vs. the Rockets. He shot 5-of-6 from the floor (83.3%) but also had a net (+/-) rating of -14. Thus showing that while he was efficient on the offensive side, he also had some glaring defensive concerns.
The former No. 1 overall pick is currently averaging 15.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game in the eighth season of his NBA career, which is slightly below his career averages in points (16.3) and rebounds (10.4). He is currently making 71.4% of his shots from the field.
Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins also addressed JJ Redick’s comments about holding the team accountable and said that Redick blames everyone but himself.
“It’s always somebody else’s fault. It’s never JJ Redick’s fault… why don’t they care, why are they not playing hard, why are they not trying to compete… You’re the coach, that’s a reflection of you.”
Not taking criticism from the coach seriously is probably not the best way to address problems with the team. However, one thing is clear. The Lakers have a lot to figure out, from JJ Redick’s coaching strategies to personnel decisions; everything is now under a microscope as the franchise has fallen to 19-10 after the loss to the Rockets.
