LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers are in a mini crisis after Houston manhandled them on Christmas day. The mood in Lakerland contrasts sharply with earlier weeks. They were winning and carrying momentum then. They cannot stop losing right now. Beneath the skid sits a ticking time bomb for the Lakers in head coach JJ Redick.
Lakers Have A Ticking JJ Redick Bomb
Slipping in a Crowded West
Los Angeles sits fourth in the Western Conference with a 19–10 record.
Just weeks ago, they stood at 15–4.
They were positioning themselves for a top seed. Now they sit only a few games ahead of rising Minnesota and Houston. Momentum disappears quickly in the top-heavy West.
Offense Holds, Defense Craters
The Lakers own the league’s seventh-best offense. Injuries have forced players in and out of the rotation. When healthy, they can field a top-three offense. The trio of Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James holds immense potential.
The defense does not share that upside. The Lakers have played mediocre defense for most of the season. Over the last three weeks, it has catered. They now rank among the league’s bottom-five defenses. This decline has caused major headaches for JJ Redick and his staff. They have leaned heavily on effort and focus. That approach has now hit a wall.
Redick’s Public Frustration
“We don’t care enough right now,” Redick said after the 27-point blowout loss to Houston. “And that’s the part that bothers you a lot. We don’t care enough to do the things that are necessary. We don’t care enough to be a professional.”
“The two words of the day were effort and execution. And I feel like when we’ve done both at a high level, we’ve been a good basketball team. When we haven’t, we’re a terrible basketball team. And tonight we were a terrible basketball team. That started legitimately right away.”
These comments are the latest in a long line of public criticisms. Redick is known for his temper and intensity. Anger itself is not a problem. It is an emotion, after all. The issue lies in how one uses it.
When Accountability Becomes Noise
Redick channels righteous anger. I do not have all the details. I am not in the locker room. Still, he has likely raised effort concerns privately. He has probably addressed individuals and the group. Wisdom matters in how often and how publicly he does it. Redick risks players tuning him out if he repeats this approach.
Think of people who rarely get angry.
When they do, everyone pays attention. Their restraint gives their words weight. The opposite also holds true. Frequent anger causes people to tune out. A locker room reflects real life. Players are real people. Their feelings matter.
A Bomb the Lakers Must Defuse
This does not mean Redick should avoid accountability. He must hold players responsible. He should limit public outbursts to necessary moments. That restraint preserves their impact.
The Lakers have already strung wins together this season. They cannot let a ticking JJ Redick bomb derail their momentum.