With the season coming to an end, JJ Redick had a lot to say to summarize the Los Angeles Lakers being eliminated from the playoffs as well as the plans for the road ahead. While discussing these matters with the media during the postgame press conference, Redick offered his honest opinion on several topics.
The press conference started with Redick addressing what went wrong in the 103-96 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5.
Reporter: “This game specifically, that fourth quarter did kind of seem to go as previous ones had. How did you see that happen, and what were you trying to get going on offense?”
Redick: “We executed great in the fourth quarter. Missed shots at the rim. Missed a bunch of threes. Shot 12-52 for the series in the fourth quarter from three. On top of that, you lose two games in Minnesota… Just too many turnovers and too many offensive rebounds.”
Redick pointed out the challenges with scoring that took root early in the series itself. He added:
“There’s always a trade-off. You put in a center, we couldn’t score. So there’s always a trade-off to everything. We obviously put ourselves in a position to be in the game, three times in the fourth quarter, and just came up short every time.”
The Lakers’ head coach was then asked about the partnership of Luka Doncic and LeBron James and whether their chemistry was a reason for the poor performance in the playoffs.
Reporter: “Did you see signs that their chemistry, in the fire, wasn’t where it needed to be, in terms of one guy going, one guy not going? Were they together enough, or was it kind of what you’d expect, considering this team changed in mid-February?”
Redick: “We played 13 games with our playoff rotation in the regular season. Bron and Luka obviously played more than that together. But these things take time. Luka just went through it in Dallas with Kyrie, and it doesn’t happen overnight.”
Redick added by saying that he “wished” the duo would be more comfortable with their chemistry when it came down to the wire in the fourth quarter of playoff games. He concluded by saying: “But that partnership, that relationship, is more than solid.”
Reporter: “What was your message to the team tonight?”
Redick: “There’s always a mix of disappointment and gratitude. But certainly disappointed in – not something that I envisioned with this team… Our guys played hard enough, did all the right things. We tried to make it work with what we had and came up a little short.”
He was also asked to address Doncic’s physical condition, in light of the back injury the guard sustained during Game 5.
Reporter: “How is Luka’s back doing, and what did you see from him just trying to gut it out in the second half?”
Redick: “I assume it’s tight? I don’t know. I know he could play. Honestly, he had some good stretches there in the second half, scoring the basketball.”
He was then asked about bringing Maxi Kleber into the lineup for the first time since the forward made his recovery.
Reporter: “You went with Kleber tonight. You didn’t show your cards pre-game about that. What was the thinking there, and what do you think he gave you after not playing for like three months?”
Redick: “I just played [him] three minutes in the first half and three minutes in the second half. We knew it was going to be spot minutes, he obviously had a very tight minutes restriction. But just positional size, he is also just an incredibly intelligent player… Would’ve loved if he had made that corner three, but he wasn’t the only one who missed corner threes in the fourth quarter.”
A reporter then asked Redick about Rudy Gobert’s performance and why he was able to convert more shots off of rebounds. The Lakers’ head coach simply responded by saying, “He’s really big. He’s really big. It’s one thing if he’s the only one down there. It’s another thing if there’s more people, crashers, and they all have the license to crash… Gobert is just bigger than everyone.”
The head coach was then asked to review his debut season as a head coach and the plans for the future.
Reporter: “On a personal level, how would you evaluate your first season as head coach of this team?”
Redick: “I know I can be better, and I know I will get better. I don’t necessarily take any satisfaction from how the year went. That’s not to say I’m not proud of what the group was able to do, how we were able to figure things out on the fly. We put ourselves in a position to have home court in the first round, but there’s always ways to get better. I can be a lot better.”
Redick’s account of the Lakers’ season is valid in many ways. When it mattered most, it all came down to execution. With the season officially coming to an end, he and the Lakers will have a lot to think about moving forward.
With pressing concerns such as Doncic’s extension, James’ plans for retirement, the team’s roster issues, and many more, Redick will hope to build and grow with this team and be better prepared next season.
