The Los Angeles Lakers have suffered back-to-back blowout defeats. First, they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-80 on Monday. Then, they were walloped by the Miami Heat 93-134 on Wednesday. As you would expect, some tough questions are starting to be asked of the Lakers’ current roster.
When speaking to the media as part of his postgame news conference, JJ Redick noted how the players need to take more ownership of their performances.
“There has to be some ownership on the court and I’ll take all the ownership in the world,” Redick said. “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, gonna need some ownership on the court as well. There’s not a sense from me that we’re together right now.”
The players must accept their share of the blame. They’re the ones playing lackluster defense, throwing their hands up after getting scored on despite minimal effort. They’re the ones who underperformed last season. And now, they’re the ones who are laying waste to their impressive start to the season.
It comes to a point where there’s only so much Redick and his coaching staff can do. These are some of the same issues Darvin Ham ran into during his tenure. If the problems remain the same but the coaching staff has changed, there’s only one place to point the finger.
LeBron James would appear to agree. He told the media after the game that he was 100% on board with Redick’s postgame comments.
“Everything that he (Redick) said is correct,” James said. “…We’ve been preaching it since July. I wasn’t here since July, I was preaching some other stuff with Team USA, but it’s been preached since July, so there should be an understanding…It’s not on the coaches, it’s definitely on us, for sure.”
If James is defending the coaching staff, it’s clear there are some issues within the locker room. The Lakers are playing without any pride or effort. Redick is right to question the team’s commitment. He wants his tenure with the Lakers to be successful, but he needs his team to execute the game plan for that to happen.
If Los Angeles continues to stutter, Rob Pelinka will likely look to make some moves ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Whether that can help solve the issues remains to be seen, but in truth, it feels like a complete rebuild may be necessary. The Lakers’ problems run deep.
