In the aftermath of the worst loss of the season for the Lakers, head coach JJ Redick was nearly at a loss for words to describe his immediate feelings. Eventually, Redick explained that the performance was “embarrassing” for the Lakers and said that they all needed to take accountability for the disastrous showing,
“I’m embarrassed. We’re all embarrassed. It’s not a game where we had the right fight, the right professionalism,” said Redick. “There has to be some ownership. I own this but there’s going to have to be some ownership on the court. There’s not a sense from me that we’re together right now.”
Of course, JJ made sure to clarify that he wasn’t trying to single out the players and even pinned the blame partly on himself.
“There has to be some ownership on the court. And I’ll take all the ownership in the world,” said Redick. “This is my team, and I lead it, and I’m embarrassed […] I’m not blaming players. I own this.”
Redick, a former NBA shooting guard, was hired as the replacement for Darvin Ham this summer. Despite a lack of coaching experience, Redick’s basketball knowledge and stint as a player earned him the job and he won over a lot of fans after his first few months in the role.
But now that the Lakers have hit a rough patch, Redick’s rotations, schemes, and game plans are being put under doubt by angry fans who are demanding better. This latest game against the Miami Heat was arguably their worst of the season and it’s no wonder that Redick himself said the whole team was embarrassed.
The Lakers came into the game looking to secure their 13th win but things quickly got out of hand when the Heat caught fire from beyond the arc. Instead of doing what they could to hang around and battle against the Heat’s red-hot shooting, the Lakers folded down the stretch and pretty much gave up by giving minimal effort on the court.
Whether it was frustration, a lack of confidence in the game plan, or simply a loss of focus, the Lakers lost their composure tonight and allowed the Heat to tie their franchise record with 24 three-pointers.
To put it simply, the effort was just unacceptable tonight on both ends of the floor and head coach JJ Redick expected better from his team after working with them all summer and all throughout the season. After the game, both LeBron James and Anthony Davis agreed with Redick’s comments, suggesting that they are committed to setting a better example in the future.
As losers of 6 in their last 10 games, the Lakers are sliding down the standings at an alarming rate and it’s crushing all the good vibes of their strong start. If they can’t figure this out soon, the season could start to get away from the Lakers, and it might jeopardize their last years with LeBron James.
For now, Redick is going to work overtime to get the Lakers back on track and that starts with helping the two stars get back to playing at their best. After that, only time will tell how the Lakers will hold up but this season has already been a wild ride for the 17x champions.
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