Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick has a lot to reflect on after losing in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Following his team’s defeat against the Houston Rockets, Redick opened up on his debut season and promised to get better in his role.
“I’ll use my own thoughts to evaluate myself, and I’ll use what my players say and what my coaching staff says to evaluate. I will get better. I don’t necessarily take any satisfaction from how the year went,” said Redick, via Jovan Buha. “That’s not to say I’m not proud of what the group was able to do, and how we were able to figure out things on the fly and put ourselves in a position to have home court in the first round. But there are always ways to get better. And I can get a lot better.”
Redick was hired with no prior experience, but the Lakers trusted his basketball knowledge and his ability to lead the locker room. Now, some fans are calling for his job after a failed season, but Redick says he has no issue with being the scapegoat.
“We all know what the Lakers is,” Redick said Thursday. “I talked about it when I did my opening press conference. I know what I signed up for, and I know there’s a lot of blame that gets placed on me, and I’m willing to accept that. Believe me, no one’s harder on me than me.”
The Lakers lost in the first round despite winning 50 games in the regular season, and JJ’s job security was under major doubt. During one half of Game 4, he played the same five players the whole way through in an unprecedented decision. He also made headlines after a heated altercation with a reporter following Game 5.
In a disappointing Lakers season, JJ Redick made plenty of mistakes, and the growing pains were clear in his first year on the job. While some may claim that he’s no better than Darvin Ham, the latest intel suggests that the Lakers intend to keep Redick, and his job is safe for the time being.
With no fear of being fired, Redick can put his focus on learning from his debut and growing as a leader both on and off the court. He can also get to know Luka Doncic better, who was traded in the middle of the season in exchange for Anthony Davis.
The most important thing for the Lakers right now is not internal growth, but adding the right pieces in the offseason. The Lakers need a center to compete in the West, and they have several players to consider if they want to fill the role. They also need more depth off the bench after the second unit combined for just four points in Wednesday’s Game 5 loss.
Overall, the situation is complicated for the Lakers, and while they don’t believe they’re far away from contention, there are many areas of improvement for the organization.
No matter what happens in the offseason, the pressure will be on the Lakers to contend next season and validate giving up their championship big man. Fortunately, JJ Redick has vowed to improve, and it will surely help maximize their potential.
