Kenyon Martin Sr. delivered one of the bluntest evaluations yet of the Los Angeles Lakers’ current situation while speaking on Gil’s Arena, questioning whether JJ Redick truly has the locker room. As the Lakers continue to spiral following their Christmas Day collapse, Martin’s comments added fuel to an already uncomfortable conversation about leadership and accountability.
“Them dudes don’t respect you. You are their peer,” Martin said. “Just because you are the head coach doesn’t mean they look at you as such. And the main culprit is the guy you just had the podcast with who helped get you the job. If they did, they’d play harder, they’d get back on defense.”
The criticism centers less on tactics and more on perception. When effort consistently wavers, it often reflects how a message is being received rather than what is being said.
“You can want it for them, but until they want it for themselves and look in the mirror, they’re not gonna do it,” Martin continued. “They’re just not, and they don’t respect the messenger.”
Redick was hired in 2024 as the replacement for Darvin Ham. With close ties to LeBron James, he was brought in with the belief that his voice, modern perspective, and relationships could bridge gaps inside a veteran-heavy locker room. Instead, his first season has been defined by inconsistency, defensive lapses, and repeated effort questions.
Those frustrations boiled over after their 119-96 Christmas loss to the Rockets, when the Lakers looked disinterested and checked out on the defensive end. After the game, Redick openly questioned his team’s professionalism and care level while hinting at some uncomfortable conversations. Now sitting at 19-10 and trending in the wrong direction, the Lakers face mounting pressure to respond, and there are no easy solutions in sight.
Whether a response comes internally or through roster changes remains to be seen, but the spotlight on Redick’s authority is only getting brighter. Now that Rob Pelinka has already given him an extension, Redick has the job security to take whatever measures he feels are necessary, but the process will not be easy.
At 19-10 and losers of three straight games, the Lakers are slipping down the standings at an alarming rate. Without Austin Reaves for the next four weeks, the situation has become borderline drastic for Los Angeles, and the pressure is squarely on Redick to stabilize the season.
The questions surrounding JJ Redick are no longer quiet, and they are not coming from the outside anymore. Effort, buy-in, and respect are now part of the daily conversation around this team, and the margin for patience is shrinking fast. Whether the Lakers respond with urgency or continue to drift will define not just this season, but how much longer this experiment is allowed to breathe.
