The Los Angeles Lakers fell to 1-4 in their last five games with a 114-131 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Anthony Davis was absent from the game due to injury along with more unavailable options such as Jarred Vanderbilt, giving JJ Redick few rotational options to deploy in this game. Despite the lack of depth, Redick benched starter D’Angelo Russell for most of the second half.
Redick explained his decision to keep Russell out of the game, calling the Lakers guard out for his poor attention to detail and lack of competitiveness in this game.
“Level of compete, attention to detail, some of the things we’ve talked with him about for a couple of weeks. At times, he’s been really good with that stuff and other times it’s just reverting back to certain habits. It wasn’t like a punishment, I just felt like for us to have a chance to win this game, that was the route we wanted to take.”
JJ on D'Angelo:
"Level of compete, attention to detail, some of the things we've talked with him about for a couple of weeks. At times, he's been really good with that stuff and other times it's just reverting back to certain habits. It wasn't like a punishment" pic.twitter.com/rhHr4L42fS
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) November 7, 2024
Redick tried to soften the blow at the end by saying it wasn’t a punishment, but it surely felt like one for the guard who also was publicly criticized by Darvin Ham last season. Whatever is happening in the Lakers locker room is one thing, but it seems like Russell has been a common issue for the last two coaches due to his incredibly fluctuating levels of production.
Russell put up 12 points (4-12 FG) in this loss against the Grizzlies. If he got more minutes, he could’ve provided the spark the Lakers needed to outscore the Grizzlies. But if he did play more, the Grizz could’ve scored way more than just 131 points in this contest as Cam Reddish playing over D’Lo gave the Lakers some semblance of a perimeter defense.
Reddish’s 15 points (5-7 FG) vindicated Redick’s decision to use him over Russell for two-way guard play, but it didn’t result in the win which was their ultimate goal. D’Angelo is averaging 12.0 points on 37.5% from the field this season, a far cry from his 18.0 points per game last season with 41.5% three-point conversion.
The Lakers will be forced into making mid-season trades just to make their roster more playable, and Russell’s expiring $18 million contract might be crucial for any additions the team can make this winter.
With the continued issues he’s had to fit in with coaches on the Lakers, it might be best for Russell to leave the franchise this season to have a hope of rehabilitating his value for 2025 free agency.
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