The Los Angeles Lakers thought JJ Redick would bring something different than Darvin Ham did last season. Through the first quarter of the season, Lakers fans are experiencing deja vu. On Monday, Los Angeles had a poor showing against the Minnesota Timberwolves, only scoring 80 points for the entire game. They had a chance to rebound on Wednesday night against the Miami Heat. Things did not get better as the Lakers lost by a whopping 41 points. After the game, Redick said he was embarrassed by the blowout loss.
Los Angeles Lakers JJ Redick On The Loss
All of the weaknesses of the Los Angeles Lakers were exposed on Wednesday night. They couldn’t stop the Miami Heat from scoring. Six Miami players were in double figures, with Tyler Herro leading the way with 31 points. He was unstoppable in the third quarter as he broke the game open with a barrage of threes. Offensively, LeBron James needed some help. He scored a team-high 29 points, but the next closest teammate had 14 (Rui Hachimura). Anthony Davis only scored eight points on 3-14 shooting. JJ Redick didn’t mince words after the loss.
“I’m embarrassed. We’re all embarrassed. It’s not a game I thought we had the right fight, the right professionalism… I own this, but need some ownership on the court as well. There’s not a sense from me that we’re together right now.”
This is not what you want to hear if you are a Los Angeles Lakers fan. Redick’s words are not surprising. The effort was lacking throughout the night. Miami was consistently able to get easy buckets, but the Lakers looked lethargic at times. The head coach said he would be talking with the staff and each player individually in order to try and prevent a full-on fracture of the team.
Trending The Wrong Direction
Earlier in the week, I wrote a piece about how the Lakers’ record was fool’s gold. At first glance, a 12-10 record at the quarter mark of the season isn’t bad. They are only 4.5 games out of first place in the Western Conference. However, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to get embarrassed if they don’t fix their defense soon. In that piece, I referenced how Los Angeles has one of the worst defenses in the entire NBA. They are ranked in the bottom five in many defensive categories.
It doesn’t matter how much offense a team has; a bottom-five defense isn’t going to win a championship. While some of it may be scheme-related, most of the problem seems to be a lack of effort. The team isn’t playing as a team, just a group of individuals on a court. While there is still plenty of season to go, the Los Angeles Lakers have to figure out something fast, or the season could slip away.
Not All Bad
It wasn’t all bad for the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. James broke out of his shooting slump, hitting 12 of his 18 shots. More importantly, he climbed more all-time lists. James passed Kyle Korver on the all-time three-pointers made list with his 2,451st make of his 22-year career. The former MVP has never been a deadly three-point shooter, but his longevity in the league has led to records being broken. He is now seventh on the all-time list.
If the Lakers do anything this season, it will be because of LeBron James. Seeing him getting back to an all-star level is a welcome sight for fans and for JJ Redick. The question is whether James can consistently keep this up or if this is more of a once in awhile type performance.
Final Thoughts
People were positive about JJ Redick throughout the first part of the season. However, it seems many fans are wondering whether anything has actually changed. The season is far from over, and the Los Angeles Lakers will likely look to make some roster moves. This team has a long way to go, and the gap between them and the championship contenders seems to be getting wider.
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