Why Lakers can’t quit on JJ Redick, even when down 0-2 in playoffs
It wasn’t the Oklahoma City superstar who buried the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. That’s what made this series so vexing for the short-handed Lakers.
After the Thunder dominated the Lakers in a matter of minutes without reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the court in Game 2, showing off his superior depth, athleticism and pace, Lakers coach JJ Redick said the team had to “watch everything.” The second-year Lakers coach is the latest to face a problem that almost no one in the NBA has solved.
How do you stop the inevitable when it comes to the Oklahoma City Thunder?
The reigning NBA champions took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals despite Gilgeous-Alexander’s relatively quiet performance. The Thunder put the Lakers in danger of being eliminated from the playoffs for just the 10th time in franchise history.
Playing without Luka Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer, the Lakers can only continue to do what they’ve been doing all year: adapt.
“What I like about the playoffs,” Redick said before the Lakers’ second round, “is you can only worry about the task at hand.”
The Lakers have already shown their playoff resilience by winning a first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets in six games, despite missing their superstar guard and only getting second-leading scorer Austin Reaves for two games.
When the star guards both suffered season-ending injuries against the Thunder on April 2, it looked like a sure disaster. The Lakers were just starting to show their potential as a team.
Lakers coach JJ Redick gives instructions for guarding Luka Doncic during a game in March.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
They suffered a three-game losing streak. They regrouped. Then they won.
“Going through this series, we really could have laid down a little bit and had a lot of excuses of all kinds,” center Deandre Ayton said after the Lakers finished the first-round series, “but I felt like we went in, JJ didn’t care who was out there with him.”
Between shocking trades and serious injuries, it feels like Redick has coached at least six different teams in his first two seasons. His intense focus can help take the emotion out of any unforeseen circumstances. Whether it’s a blockbuster trade that brought Doncic to Los Angeles or an untimely injury that sidelines the superstar guard at the most important time of the season, Redick is able to compartmentalize each day’s mission.
“He just stays focused on what he needs to do in the moment,” said Stan Van Gundy, who coached Redick in Orlando and is now an analyst for Amazon Prime Video. “He’s as focused as anyone you’ll ever meet.”
Sometimes Redick’s duties simply involve checking in with certain players. Other times, it’s about inventing new plays with the coaches. Redick fully focuses on everyone at once. Learning to prioritize tasks has kept him sane during his second season in one of the highest-profile athletic coaching jobs, he said.
“A little more sane,” Redick clarified with a shy smile.
Reaves doesn’t buy it.
The Lakers guard always sees Redick ignite on the Lakers bench after a particularly blatant turnover or a missed mission. He held his anger against the officials during the Lakers’ Game 2 loss in Oklahoma City in which Redick received a technical foul.
Redick has had heated exchanges with Doncic and Jarred Vanderbilt this season. The video clips went viral, casting doubt on Redick’s relationship with players, particularly the moment with Doncic in February. But Redick maintained that these were two ordinary conversations between competitive people.
Lakers coach JJ Redick reviews his notes before a game against the Utah Jazz in April.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Even after Redick’s struggles, Reaves knows he can still talk about it with the coaching staff.
“It just shows the care factor,” Reaves said. “Like there’s no bad intent in any of this. … It’s a healthy relationship. It’s not just with myself, it’s the whole team. Everybody can talk to each other. It’s not just us and the coaching staff, it’s player to player, coaching staff to coaching staff, we all hold each other accountable and it’s a beautiful thing to see.”
In his second season at the helm, Redick set out to create a player-led team culture. Redick and his staff intentionally let the players chat among themselves during downtime before the coaches join the group.
Even though head coaches get the spotlight in the NBA, a team’s culture ultimately depends on the players, Van Gundy said. What coaches do is acquire and nurture players who possess the cultural traits the team needs. For the Lakers this season, it’s all about adaptability.
LeBron James exemplified this mantra when he went from the widely used star he was for more than two decades to the most accomplished secondary option in NBA history. When Reaves and Doncic were injured, James went back in time to play in the Lakers’ first-round series victory.
High-impact performances trickled down the roster.
Rui Hachimura shot a career-best 44.3% from three during the regular season and 58.6% from three in the first round. Long criticized for his inconsistent energy, Ayton re-emerged as a force in the first-round playoffs. Marcus Smart resurrected his career as a tenacious defender at 32 years old. The emergence of Luke Kennard as an emergency point guard was a late-season revelation. Jaxson Hayes was out of the playoff rotation last year and is now a significant counter move behind Ayton.
“[Redick] “He found ways to maximize all of these guys, whether it was through motivation or X’s and O’s or both,” Van Gundy said. “He was really, really impressive at what he did, and that’s not an easy thing to do.”
Redick, who never coached outside of his sons’ youth teams before accepting the Lakers job, became the first coach to lead the Lakers to consecutive 50-win seasons since Phil Jackson in 2009-10 and 2010-11. Redick fought back tears when general manager Rob Pelinka presented him with the game ball in the locker room on March 31 and showed a video of Redick’s sons, Knox and Kai, congratulating their father.
When asked to join a Lakers coaching roster that included Jackson and Pat Riley, Redick hesitated. He doesn’t deserve this mention, he said.
“I have a lot left to accomplish, that’s for sure,” Redick said.
He is focused on the next play.
