The Los Angeles Lakers are currently third in the Western Conference with a 22-11 record, but it hasn’t all been smooth sailing so far. Lakers head coach JJ Redick has gone at his players on a fair few occasions, most recently calling them out for not following his instructions.
Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins reacted to those comments on NBA Today, and he thinks all isn’t well in that Lakers locker room.
“JJ doing all this crying in the media, what the babies going to do?” Perkins asked. “You’ve got to leave some room for the babies in the world to do some crying. Nobody wants to hear that, and to me, he has lost the ears of the locker room.
“And I’m not talking about LeBron [James], because we know him and LeBron are always going to be on the same page,” Perkins said. “Obviously, we’re not talking about Luka [Doncic] as well. They’re going to be on the same page. But why are the other guys not listening to you? Your role players, the guys that you need to find a way to max out. A Deandre Ayton.”
Redick had admitted on Saturday that he felt Deandre Ayton was frustrated with his role on offense. There was then a change in the game plan in Sunday’s 120-114 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, as Ayton got more touches than he had previously. When asked about that change postgame, the 27-year-old said, “Bigs can’t feed themselves.” That was noteworthy to Perkins, who has noticed a change in Ayton.
“His tone has changed,” Perkins stated. “I remember at the beginning of the season, when people were asking questions about his offensive production, and he said, ‘I’m trying to be a better defender. Whatever the team needs me to be on the defensive side of things.’ Now all of a sudden, the energy has changed to he wants the ball, he can’t feed himself.”
Perkins thinks Redick’s calling out the team on multiple occasions hasn’t gone down too well with these role players. Kenyon Martin, another former NBA player, has also said that the Lakers players do not respect their head coach. Perkins believes Redick has to change his ways.
“If I’m JJ Redick, one, I’ve got to hold myself accountable,” Perkins said. “Meaning, I got to figure out a way and change my ways. I know he don’t sugarcoat nothing, and we know JJ goes on these rants, but in today’s world, in 2025, that’s not happening.
“We’ve seen all-time great coaches changed and adapt to new generations,” Perkins continued. “We saw Gregg Popovich do it with the Spurs. We saw Rick Carlisle do it in Indiana. And JJ Redick need to do it his damn self. He haven’t won a championship. He just got them to the first round. He got to humble himself.”
Perkins doesn’t think this approach works as is in the NBA today. He thinks Redick not being an accomplished head coach only makes matters worse. Is he going to change his ways, though? That’s not likely.
Eddie Johnson Points Out A Problem With JJ Redick
While it’s unclear if the Lakers players have any real issue with Redick, many former players sure aren’t liking what they’re seeing. Eddie Johnson stated on SiriusXM NBA Radio that he needs to stop opening his mouth so much.
“This from my experiences being around 12 head coaches,” Johnson said. “Some coaches talk too much. And so when you talk too much, they tend to shut you up. That’s all. I don’t think they do it on purpose. You just have a lot of words coming out of your mouth… And I think that’s part of his growth process.
“I think he just talks too much, especially to the media,” Johnson added. “Even though he’s in the media, so he feels like he can handle the media. And I think that’s part of his problem, that he feels like he can handle the media because he’s been in the media at a high level. But I just think he gives them too much, and he talks too much. And I think he lets too much inside information out.”
Redick, of course, had his own podcasts and worked at ESPN before taking the Lakers job in 2024. He had never coached at even the high school level before this, and Johnson thinks speaking less is what’s best for him.
