The 2025-26 season has felt like a rollercoaster for Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick as the team started the campaign strong before hitting a rough patch in December.
The Lakers’ slump has extended into 2026 as they’re struggling to generate any sort of positive momentum. Even against lower-level competition, Redick’s failed to get Los Angeles to play with the necessary intensity and effort on both ends of the floor.
Injuries have forced Redick’s hand when it comes to lineup choices, and he had to make due with another shorthanded squad against the Portland Trail Blazers. Los Angeles was without several starters, including Luka Doncic and Deandre Ayton, so perhaps it was expected that they would lose by double digits again.
The loss dropped the Lakers to 24-16 on the season and 15 of those losses have been by 10 or more.
Redick acknowledged that feeling discouraged after losing in that fashion is normal but implored everyone on the team to remain calm, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I think it’s normal to feel defeated in defeat, if that makes sense, when you lose by 16. I think we have one single-digit loss. Yeah. But I do think the job of the coach and the coaching staff and the leaders on the team, the players, it’s all of our job to remain level-headed. The natural highs and lows of the season can be challenging, and this season has felt like a constant challenge.”
Staying even-keeled over the course of an entire regular season is often what separates the good teams from the bad ones, and it’s a good message for Redick to reinforce at this time of the year. The Lakers looked discouraged at times against a younger Blazers team, and it seemed like there’s little fight left in the group after all their mini spurts were answered.
The game against Portland felt like a scheduled loss from the jump given who was missing, but Redick and his staff still need to figure out ways to keep the players engaged and more importantly believing in themselves. Things like effort and defense have been talked about constantly, but there’s a level of confidence that the Lakers look to be lacking.
The team returns home for their back-to-back against the Toronto Raptors, and it’ll be interesting to see whether or not Redick can get them to respond with a spirited performance.
JJ Redick discussed how Lakers will manage upcoming difficult schedule
The Lakers face a gauntlet of games the next couple of weeks and their recent play doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence that they’ll escape unscathed. JJ Redick discussed how Los Angeles will manage the difficult schedule, saying he’ll need to be flexible daily and read how the players are feeling.
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