Game 1 of their first round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves did not go the way the Los Angeles Lakers hoped. In his postseason debut as a head coach, JJ Redick watched his team get dominated by a Timberwolves squad that was more physical and hungry than the Lakers were.
The game was a statement made by the Timberwolves that they are not to be overlooked, especially as they made the Western Conference Finals just one season ago. But following the Game 1 loss, Redick, his coaching staff and the Lakers players took a look at the film and the head coach feels there is a lot they need to fix.
“We just have to do a lot of things better and it starts with playing harder and being more organized,” Redick said at Lakers practice on Monday.
Whether it is the Lakers’ offensive struggles in getting others aside from Luka Doncic going or their defensive issues with the Timberwolves getting a ton of wide open 3-point looks, Redick knows there are a lot of improvements that need to be made and he went into more detail on what he meant when he said they need to be more organized.
“I think a lot of times you would hear that word (organization), and it’s the point guard calling a play. No, it’s just all of the normal stuff we try to do and when we’re doing it, we’re really good. Being organized is screening, being organized is getting to the proper spacing, being organized is getting corners filled after makes and misses. That’s being organized. There’s set calls you would call after dead balls, free throws and whatnot, but our early offense stuff, like any team, it’s the same shit. It’s remarkable how many possessions we had three or four guys at half court with 15 on the clock. Like literally just bunched up together at half court. So that’s what it means to be organized.”
There is no denying how disappointing Game 1 was for the Lakers, but it was still just one game. The Lakers have the opportunity to get right back on track in Game 2 on Tuesday and Redick will surely give his team the blueprint to make that happen, it will simply be on the players to execute it and ensure they don’t head to Minnesota down 2-0.
Magic Johnson critical of Lakers coach JJ Redick following Game 1 loss
Lakers legend Magic Johnson also didn’t like what he saw from the Lakers on Saturday night in their playoff opener and he pointed some of that blame towards head coach JJ Redick as well.
While Magic praised Redick for the job he’s done in his first season, he felt the team’s offense in Game 1 was too much 1-on-1 and felt the Lakers coach didn’t make the necessary adjustments to remedy the situation.
“Coach JJ Redick did a great job all season but he didn’t do a good job for Game 1,” Johnson wrote in a social media post. “The Lakers stood around on offense, played too much one-on-one basketball, and he didn’t make any necessary adjustments.”
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!
