The Los Angeles Lakers suffered their third consecutive loss on Thursday, Christmas Day, to their West rivals, the Houston Rockets.
LA was flat for most of the game, especially on the defensive side of the ball, as has been the case all season long. The Lakers fell to 19-10 in the season and have tallied a 4-6 record in their last 10 games after a 15-4 start to the season.
Los Angeles has appeared to lose their way, and no one has been harder on the team than head coach JJ Redick.
Redick was visibly upset postgame, ripping a new one into his squad.
“We’re a terrible basketball team and tonight we were a terrible basketball team…we don’t care enough to be a professional…we don’t have it right now,” Redick said. “Saturday’s practice I told the guys it’s gonna be uncomfortable. The meeting is gonna be uncomfortable. I’m not doing another 53 games like this”
This isn’t the first time Redick has been vocally or visibly upset with his team. While the attention to detail and the level of care are clearly there with Redick, ESPN pundit and former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins is no longer buying into it. Perkins went off on Redick following the loss, calling him out for his rants and saying that he doesn’t take accountability for the losses.
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“Everybody find it cute and funny when he goes on his rants and publicly calls out his team but JJ Redick gotta do better as well. It’s always everybody else fault but not JJ Redick’s. That’s a problem for me”
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This week has been brutal for the Lakers, and their losses have all followed the same pattern. Los Angeles has been abysmal on the defensive end in each defeat, consistently losing to the same type of opponent — teams with athletic, young wings who exploit LA’s lack of size, speed, and perimeter defense.
While the Lakers possess a top-three player in the world in Luka Doncic, they don’t have the necessary tools that complement his play style on either end of the floor.
Perkins may not be buying into Redick’s rants or perceived lack of accountability, LA has bigger issues, which is their flawed roster — the primary reason the Lakers have struggled this season.
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