The Los Angeles Lakers’ Christmas Day loss did more than extend a losing streak, it forced an uncomfortable moment of reflection inside the organization. On Saturday, just days after a fiery postgame press conference, JJ Redick spoke again with the media and revealed his message to the team in a rare glimpse behind the scenes.
“Recalibration, reconnection,” said Redick on the message to his team after Thursday’s loss (via Dave McMenamin). “I’m always gonna look in the mirror first, and I think it’s easy as a player, as a coach, to say ‘Oh it’s this guy’s fault’ or ‘we’re not doing this because of x, y, and z.’ So, we had a great meeting with the staff this morning, and came in super early. I met with the players and it was very positive, and it was also listening. The truth is uncomfortable and you have to put everything out there.”
“I really believe in just getting back to basics and understanding the needs of the team and the needs of each guy for creating more clarity,” Redick added. “I know I played, and what can seem very simple [in practice and film] is not very simple once you get into real time in live action. It’s not gonna happen in a day, but we gotta get back to building our defensive fundamentals. That was priority No. 1 for me. Then, role clarity. Since we’ve gotten Bron back, we haven’t been as organized offensively; too many random possessions. So that’s on me. It’s those three things. Defensive clarity, role clarity, and offensive organization.”
The Lakers are in the midst of their worst stretch of the season so far, coming off three straight losses, including an embarrassing blowout defeat on national television. The lack of effort and focus was obvious, leading Redick to challenge the team both immediately after the game and again during a brutally honest practice session.
“I think they’re aware and the whole group’s aware,” Redick said. “The group feels it, they’re on the court together, they’re in the huddle together. There wasn’t anything that needed to be addressed that wasn’t addressed. As a coach, you can’t address everything every day in front of the group. My staff and I do a good job of addressing things in the moment. I don’t feel like we live in a passive-aggressive environment. Sometimes you need to have a bigger setting, and it was as much listening for us as anything else.”
With Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and Deandre Ayton, the Lakers hoped they had enough to compete with the best in the West, but defensive breakdowns and lazy play have limited their success. Thursday’s game against the Rockets was arguably the clearest reveal of those flaws, but the issues have not been isolated to one night.
“In terms of lineups, our guys upstairs have told us 250 minutes is like the sort of target number for when lineup data starts to set and normalize,” added Redick. “So you can look at a lineup (that has played) 11 minutes, ‘Oh, look at this 11 minutes!’ Yeah, we played small-ball for one game and they played well that game. You can’t take a ton from that. But there are certainly trends that we’re looking at and we’ve kind of made some decisions on about where we’re gonna go.”
Despite being 19-10, the Lakers have struggled to maintain defensive consistency, often surrendering easy looks and second-chance points. Offensively, the team has leaned heavily on individual talent, but that approach has rarely translated into sustained success. Even the stars have not been immune to scrutiny. LeBron James has shown visible lapses in focus during key moments, while Luka Doncic’s defensive shortcomings continue to be targeted by opposing teams.
Whether this practice and meeting serve as a turning point remains to be seen. Redick’s emphasis on honesty and shared accountability suggests a coach trying to establish long-term habits rather than chasing short-term fixes. For a Lakers team still searching for its identity, the impact of this uncomfortable moment could define how the rest of the season unfolds, either as the start of a course correction or another sign of deeper issues yet to be solved.
