Tuesday night’s loss to the Orlando Magic is one that JJ Redick and the Los Angeles Lakers would love to have back. The Lakers were in control for most of the game and had a chance to seal the victory had they been able to execute just a little bit better on both ends down the stretch.
One thing that has come into question recently for the Lakers is their offense as it can become stagnant at times. The team has times when things flow smoothly, but other times it feels as if people are standing around while players go 1-on-1.
Redick does believe that the Lakers’ creators like Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James should get some freedom to do what they do best, especially early in the offense. However, the Lakers coach thinks they can do a better job at finding more balance.
“I think you gotta give your guys some leeway to play in early offense versus just playing in the halfcourt,” Redick noted after the loss. “We gotta find that balance. This is a team that, they didn’t start in 1-5 (switching), but they played 1-5 the entire game last year. So I thought we were prepared for them to go to Red and switch everything. We had some good stuff. I thought Luke made a difference when he was in the game with just his movement against their switching.”
Luke Kennard was a bright spot off the Lakers bench and overall the energy of the Lakers was much better coming off a disappointing showing against the Boston Celtics. Redick did believe the Lakers played the right way overall and praised their effort.
“Yeah, every event is its own event. I thought we played well enough to win tonight,” Redick added. “[We] certainly had the edge and played hard enough to win. We played together. We did our best to play the right way and share the basketball.”
But ultimately, this league is all about results and the Lakers were on the wrong end on Tuesday night, meaning the team went just 4-4 on their eight-game homestand. And Redick didn’t mince words about where this team stands right now.
“We’re a work in progress.”
Even with the disappointing record on the homestand, the Lakers are right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff mix. But if they want to climb up the ladder, they will need to figure some things out down the stretch of the season.
Pat Riley believes Lakers picked the right coach in JJ Redick
JJ Redick is still early in his coaching career as he tries to navigate this Lakers season, and one person who believes in him as the Lakers head coach is someone he has drawn comparisons to in the legendary Pat Riley.
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