J.J. Redick was unhappy with the defensive effort after the Lakers’ blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns on December 23rd. The Suns defeated the Lakers by a final score of 132-108 and shot 58.8 percent from the field. After the contest, coach Redick was asked if he had enough players who are hardwired to play with consistent and physical effort.
“No,” Redick simply said.
“We practice this stuff enough,” Redick also added. “We review this stuff enough. We show film on this stuff enough that to me, it like comes down to … just making the choice. It’s making the choice.
“There are shortcuts you can take, or you can do the hard thing, and you can make the second effort, or you can sprint back or you can’t. It’s just a choice. And there’s a million choices in a game, and you’re very likely not going to make every choice correctly. But can you make the vast majority of them correctly? It gives you a chance to win.”
The Lakers dropped to 19-9 after the loss but are still the fourth seed in the Western Conference as of December 24th, 2025.
J.J. Redick Wants More Consistent Defensive Effort From Lakers
Los Angeles’ Defensive Metrics This Season
The Lakers have been a middling defensive team thus far into the season. They currently rank 24th in team defensive rating (117.6), 10th in defensive rebounding percentage (69.7 percent), and 19th in opponent fastbreak points (15.7). Furthermore, Los Angeles also ranks 25th in opponents points off turnovers (20.2). Still, the Lakers are a top-four team in the Western Conference for a reason. Luka Dončić is a legitimate MVP candidate, and Austin Reaves has developed into an up-and-coming star. Not to mention, LeBron James’ leadership is still a valuable commodity. Considering all of this, one has to wonder if this is the year J.J. Redick takes the Lakers on a deep postseason run.
Can J.J. Redick Lead This Lakers Squad to a Deep Playoff Run?
J.J. Redick has proven to be one of the better coaches in the NBA. Can he get the most out of this collective when it comes time to compete with the best in the west though? We already know of the core three in Luka, LeBron, and Reaves. Can the Marcus Smarts and Deandre Aytons of the world step up to the challenge though? If Redick’s recent comments are any indication, then any player on the Lakers will be a dangerous threat come playoff time. However, as he also alluded to, the defensive intensity must improve if Los Angeles wants to be viewed as legitimate title contenders.
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