The Los Angeles Lakers got off to a strong start this season that some didn’t see coming. Head coach JJ Redick had this team clicking and, despite some injury issues, the Lakers found themselves near the top of the Western Conference through the first quarter of the season.
However, the team hit a rough patch in December, losing five of eight games while getting blown out in increasingly embarrassing fashion and barely squeaking by their victories over lesser opponents. The low point came on Christmas Day when the Lakers were dominated by the Houston Rockets, their third consecutive loss, and it seemed as if the wheels had begun to fall off.
Some made note that the body language of the Lakers began to fall and pointed at Luka Doncic being a culprit of that as well, as he is known to focus too much on officials at times. But Redick also put the blame on himself, recently saying that he was not at his best as a coach during that time and believes he has now found his way again, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“We’re all human beings. Like I feel like I had a really poor 7-to-10 days. I told the group that around post-Cup to Christmas, maybe it was just the gluttony of the holidays, I don’t know, but I wasn’t at my best. Feel like I’ve found my way with the group again and I think every player is gonna go through that throughout the season and it’s something Luka and I talked about after Christmas. And he’s now been really good with all that stuff for the last six games.”
Redick is known as a very straightforward person, so him looking inward and putting blame on himself for the Lakers struggles is admirable. It is regularly said that players must look at themselves when things are going bad, but the same can be said for coaches and Redick has done that.
In recent weeks, he had been openly critical of his team, notably their effort and inability to run the plays he is calling. That led many people to question why Redick was doing so publicly, making it seem like he was putting all of the blame for their struggles on the players.
The Lakers have looked more locked in since Christmas though, winning four of their last six games and giving strong efforts even in the losses. There is still much work to be done to get this team to the next level, but Redick remains focused and committed on doing everything in his power to get them there.
Luka Doncic proud of Lakers’ effort in loss vs. Spurs
The Lakers were extremely shorthanded against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, missing three starters, but remained within striking distance for most of the night before ultimately coming up short. Even still, Luka Doncic was proud of the effort the team gave overall.
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