JJ Redick's tenure as the Lakers' head coach started with a flourish — Los Angeles opened the year with 10 wins in its first 14 games, seemingly setting the stage for a resurgence for LeBron James & Co. after a challenging few seasons.
Progress isn't linear, however. And as of late, the Lakers don't look like they're progressing all that much at all.
Redick's side has lost six of its last eight contests. The vast majority of those games were blowouts, including the team's most recent fixtures — a 29-point drubbing vs. the Timberwolves on Monday followed up by a 41-point hammering at the hands of the Heat on Wednesday night.
After the second blowout loss in a row, Redick felt compelled to express his disappointment while speaking with reporters. Here's what you need to know about what the coach and James said about the Lakers' efforts.
JJ Redick postgame interview vs. Heat
Redick was dismayed with the way in which Miami dismantled the Lakers on Wednesday night. When queried about the nature of the defeat, Redick gave no-holds-barred criticism of his team.
"There has to be some ownership," Redick said. "It's easy to not want the ownership, particularly when it's embarrassing. I'm embarrassed, we're all embarrassed. It's not a game that I thought we had the right fight, the right professionalism.
"This is my team, and I lead it. I'm embarrassed, but I can't physically get us organized. ... I'm not blaming players. I own this, but we're gonna need some ownership on the court as well. There's not a sense from me that we're together right now."
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https://twitter.com/i/status/1864505015848587266 He wasn't the only one noticing an apparent discord within the ranks. If you want a window into the Lakers' foibles on Wednesday night, look no further than this adventure of a defensive position:
Even James himself, who led the way for Los Angeles with 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting (1-of-4 from three), couldn't help but second Redick's observation.
There's no schemes or Xs and Os that's gonna get you through that," James said. "You don't want to come to compete, then that's other issues.
"I agree with everything JJ said. Whatever he said, I agree 100%, 1000%."
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JJ Redick's tenure as the Lakers' head coach started with a flourish — Los Angeles opened the year with 10 wins in its first 14 games, seemingly setting the stage for a resurgence for LeBron James & Co. after a challenging few seasons.
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