Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick has done a good job in his first season on the sidelines, getting the most out of Anthony Davis and the rest of the supporting cast.
Redick was able to lead the team to three straight wins to begin the 2024-25 season but finally suffered his first loss on the road against the Phoenix Suns.
Los Angeles raced out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter, but an offensive lull midway through allowed Phoenix to come back and steal the game on their home floor.
Redick was visibly frustrated after the loss and Davis admitted he and everyone else on the team were mad about losing, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Yeah, he’s pissed,” Davis said. “But I think it’s on all of us. Not just him. Obviously he’s the coach and he’s gonna try to take the blame, but we scored 14 points, the players, so there’s things that we could’ve done better as a group. Coaching staff and players, but we didn’t and we’ll learn from it. Watch film on how we can not have an 14-point quarter this season and learn from our mistakes.
“But yeah, he’s pretty pissed. We’re all pissed just because of how well we’re playing. No one likes to lose and I think everyone in here is a competitor where every loss you kind of take pretty heavy. So we’ll watch film tomorrow and then get ready for a team that’s been kicking ass.”
Davis also teased that Redick’s competitive nature will ensure that the Lakers are ready for their next game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“The way he was mad, I’m not gonna say what I was thinking. But we’ll be ready for Wednesday. We’ll be ready for Wednesday.”
Redick was going to lose a game at some point, but it’s clear that he’s still got a fiery edge to him considering how upset he was at a regular season loss. Losing to Phoenix in the manner they did was certainly disappointing, but it’s important for Redick to remember that it’s a long season and that the ups and downs come with the territory.JJ Redick takes accountability for loss against Suns
What’s been refreshing from JJ Redick is his communication style and how direct he is when relaying a message to Anthony Davis and his other players. When discussing the loss against the Suns, Redick said he liked the process but also took accountability for some tactical errors he made during the game.
