It’s really not that new, and as a relatively young former player himself, maybe it’s something that Lakers coach JJ Redick knows he can push more than most other coached. But Redick has never been anything but blunt in his assessment of players, whether in practice, on the sideline during a game, behind the scenes to their faces or in front of the media.
But is there a chance that Redick could push his willingness to be harshly critical a little too far, especially now that the Lakers are playing shorthanded without Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) out because of injuries?
On Tuesday in the Lakers’ blowout loss to the Thunder, Redick caught attention for two different actions, though both are in the same vein.
In the first, Redick had an altercation with Jarred Vanderbilt as he removed him from the game during a timeout, which frustrated Vanderbilt. Redick and Vanderbilt had words, and had to be separated by assistant coach Nate McMillan and Reaves.
In the second, after the game, Redick very directly called out center Deandre Ayton. “He’s had trouble catching the ball,” Redick said. “We’ve ran a bunch of plays for him, he’s just had trouble catching the ball.”
JJ Redick Has Been Harsh With the Lakers
Again, that is not new for Redick. That has been his coaching style since he got the job with the Lakers, and he has not been shy about pointing out his players’ issues throughout the season. Back in December, he told his team that the Lakers defense was “ass” and later told reporters he couldn’t go through a whole year with the Lakers playing that way.
He also told Jake LaRavia he was “awful,” during one stretch last month, and relayed that to reporters.
That can be effective in small doses. But if it becomes too widespread, there is a chance that Redick can lose the locker room.
That’s the feeling from longtime NBA veteran Jeff Teague, who played 12 seasons and won a championship with the Bucks. On his “Club 520 Podcast,” Teague said, “JJ won’t be the coach next year. He is going to get fired. Nobody’s going to—people are going to stop liking him.”
Lakers Probably Not Making a Change–Yet
That is a risk Redick surely runs. Remember, he was brought to the Lakers, in part, on the recommendation of LeBron James, and there is a strong chance that James is not with the Lakers after this season. That doesn’t mean the Lakers would fire Redick, just that it probably eats away at his job security.
There were injuries last year and a major midseason trade, but there’s no doubt, too, that Redick’s Lakers have not accomplished much thus far, and aren’t likely to change that this postseason.
JJ Redick Is a Young Coach With ‘Different Type of Relatonships’
Another former player, Chandler Parsons, said that Redick’s status as a player who was on the floor against and with some of his current players changes the dynamic. Parsons points out that Redick has gone after everyone on the roster who is underachieving.
Said Parsons, on the “Run it Back” podcast: “He’s went at LeBron, he’s went at Luka. I don’t think he’s making anybody kinda the whipping boy there, I just think that’s how he coaches. He’s a fiery type guy.
“And as a young coach that maybe doesn’t have as much respect as coaches these players might have had, you kind of feel like you have that free pass to kind of snap back and say something like, I played against this dude. I might have played with this guy. JJ and Luka were teammates. So there’s a different level of—I don’t want to say respect because they respect JJ Redick. There’s just a different type of relationships there for such a young, new coach.”
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