Los Angeles Lakers coach J.J. Redick absolutely seemed youthful than his 40 years upon storming out of Wednesday’s postgame press convention.
Not significantly youthful or toddler youthful, simply missing the refinement befitting a person his age—if not his NBA head teaching expertise.
All of us keep in mind the standing Mike Gundy as soon as ascribed to 40-year-olds, proper?
Frustration undoubtedly obtained the higher of Redick as he digested a 1-4 street journey. Being requested repeatedly to dissect why LeBron James, six months and 6 days the rookie coach’s junior, exhibited probably the most effort of any Laker within the journey finale at Memphis merely added up.
Right here’s hoping Redick listened to a positive-thinking podcast or slept it off on the flight residence. On a roster with its share of inconsistent performers, the coach should set a gradual instance.
Memphis defeated Los Angeles 131-114 on Wednesday, the Lakers’ second-most lopsided defeat on the journey.
Heart Anthony Davis, the workforce’s main scorer and rebounder, missed the sport with left heel soreness, whereas an sickness saved fellow starter Rui Hachimura out.
James aimed to shoulder the absences as finest he may, scoring 39 factors on 15-for-24 capturing to go together with seven rebounds and 6 assists.
“I feel LeBron was implausible tonight,” Redick mentioned. “Greatest factor that stood out … he performed onerous. Nearly 40 years previous and performed the toughest on our workforce. It says quite a bit about him.”
Redick confirmed that singling out can go each methods when he spoke of D’Angelo Russell, who logged solely 6:06 of his season-low 22 minutes after halftime. His 12 factors have been inefficient, Redick thought, as Russell went simply 4-for-12 from the ground, together with 2-for-9 from deep.
“Simply degree of compete, consideration to element, a number of the issues we’ve talked with him about for a few weeks,” Redick mentioned. “And at instances, he’s been actually good with that stuff and different instances, it’s simply reverting again to sure habits.”
The Lakers are set to return residence Friday night time, kicking off a three-game homestand towards a foe that additionally has heard sufficient concerning the “E” phrase.
Effort to think about the Philadelphia 76ers with out envisioning Joel Embiid, who’s serving a three-game suspension for shoving Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes.
Sidelined within the early season by a knee damage, Embiid took exception to a Hayes column that referenced Embiid’s son and late brother in critiquing the star heart’s capacity to remain in form.
Redick merely transferred stress to the highest of a desk when he walked out of his media session in Memphis. A follow-up query about find out how to deal with effort with seemingly each Laker, however James drew his ire; it already was a well-liked subject within the postgame.
“It goes again to decisions,” Redick mentioned earlier. “It’s one thing we’ve mentioned as a gaggle, and you’ve got a alternative each night time for the way you play. It has nothing to do with making pictures. There’s obtained to be a gaggle of individuals, seven to eight guys, that make that alternative and we’re a very good basketball workforce.
“We obtained a handful, two or three, we’re not going to be a very good basketball workforce that night time. That’s simply the fact.”
The Lakers landed within the latter class as a rule in the course of the street journey. Friday brings their subsequent attempt at reversing course.
