Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick finds himself in a tough position with his team losing three straight games. Those losses were all blowouts, where L.A. tends to roll over and not give all-out effort on the defensive end.
Heading into the year, the lack of defensive personnel was apparent and the Lakers needed to be on a string to get past that. That was the case last year when they had the No. 1 defense for a long stretch despite not having elite defenders.
It is a complete 180 lately as Redick has yet to capture similar success. After a strong 16-5 start, things have slowed down and the second-year coach admitted there is no winning culture right now.
“You know, we had it,” Redick said when asked about the team’s culture. “I always say this about culture, I always say this about the team being a good team, being a functioning organism – it can change like that. We don’t have it right now.”
Every team goes through these rough patches and it does test the team’s makeup. That is particularly the case with the Lakers’ losses to the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets, team they could face potentially in the postseason.
But Phoenix and Houston play physical brands of basketball, which clashes with L.A. Trades appear not to be on the horizon, so Redick needs to find an organic fix for the time being.
Lineup changes are at the forefront, particularly with starters and it will happen given Austin Reaves re-injuring his calf on Christmas Day. Leashes may also be cut because Redick is clearly not happy with how his team is responding by testing their ability to be a better defensive unit.
JJ Redick believes Lakers ‘don’t care enough right now’
After getting punched in the mouth in Phoenix by the Suns, there needed to be a proper response by the Lakers to an embarrassing loss like that. Yet, the Rockets dominated L.A. and Redick was not happy with how their Christmas game went.
Redick’s competitive side has shone through plenty in his one and a half years as a coach and it showed itself once again. He is not putting up with his team’s current performance as he said they “don’t care enough right now” following their loss to the Rockets on Thursday night.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
