JJ Redick, head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers , was candid following their 111-97 preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors , particularly in his analysis of the third quarter where he felt the Lakers strayed from their offensive game plan. The former NBA sharpshooter and now head coach pointed out that the Lakers' struggles came from a lack of trust in their offensive schemes during critical stretches, particularly after halftime.
"I was highly encouraged with the shots we got. Highly encouraged. It was when we didn't trust our offense and got a little stagnant ball stuck. That was the beginning of that third quarter, we had 19 points, I think in the third and AD had eight on four straight possessions in iso ball, which I call those plays because he hadn't touched it."
"I mean, that was just, we didn't play good offense that quarter. That happens sometimes. And it's a growth opportunity. It's a learning lesson for our group. Our execution, ball movement, passing, all of that stuff, and I'll rewatch it, but I thought it was great in the first half."
"We just didn't make shots and that's human nature. It's a tendency of groups of players. I've lived it. A lot of these things I've lived so I have some experience and some perspective on it."
"You stop trusting it and you start, I gotta get myself going. I gotta get myself going and it's not how we wanna play and that's okay. That's it. It happens. We'll get better."
"But I was very pleased with the type of shots we generated and look given their size and given you know Draymond's a savvy player. You know this was not gonna be a heavy rim game for us. It just wasn't so again, I just thought how we started at third. I didn't I didn't like how we played."
In Redick's eyes, the third quarter was a turning point where the Lakers' offense faltered. Despite Davis contributing with some isolation plays, Redick saw the team's broader approach to offense break down. The stagnation in ball movement and execution was concerning for a coach who has repeatedly emphasized the importance of trust in offensive schemes and unselfish play.
Redick’s remarks reflect his experience both as a player and coach. He knows firsthand how teams can drift into hero ball when things aren't going smoothly. This tendency for individual players to take matters into their own hands rather than rely on the system is something Redick aims to correct early in the season.
The Lakers' offensive numbers back up Redick's assessment. The team shot a dismal 35-95 (35.8%) from the field and just 11-40 (27.5%) from beyond the arc, struggling particularly in the first half and third quarter. After going 4-19 (21.1%) from three-point range in the first half, the team only managed to hit 7-25 (28.0%) field goals and 3-10 (30.0%) three-pointers in the third quarter.
This slump in offensive efficiency, especially after halftime, was a direct result of the team not following their offensive game plan, according to Redick.
Despite the struggles, the Lakers showed some improvement in the fourth quarter, shooting 9-24 (37.5%) from the field and 4-11 (36.4%) from beyond the arc. Knecht, in particular, had an impressive fourth-quarter performance, going 5-9 (55.6%) from the field and 4-7 (55.1%) from three-point range, scoring 14 points. His offensive burst accounted for more than half of the Lakers’ total points in the final frame.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Rui Hachimura added 15 points and 9 rebounds. Bench player Dalton Knecht came alive with 19 points despite his 6-15 (40.0%) shooting, but LeBron James had a quiet night with just 6 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds. The Lakers' offense faltering in the third quarter was a key reason for their defeat.
When asked about Rui Hachimura’s progress, Redick had high praise for the forward, noting that he had been committed to the team's game plan despite a challenging start to the preseason.
"Rui's been great. I mean, I think, was still getting acclimated when we had our first preseason game. He'd only practiced three times and was not a full participant in most of September."
"He was in and out of the gym. And he had some family stuff. So you know he's been super committed to our classroom and in the mornings and we talked about today feels like that's been very helpful and everything we've asked him to do he's done so he's been awesome."
Looking ahead to opening night, Redick expressed confidence that the Lakers would be ready but stressed the importance of continuing to build trust in their system on both ends of the floor.
"We're ready. We're ready. Just continue to build trust in what we're doing. Again, I'll rewatch it, but our off-ball rules were very clear, they are very clear. We've practiced that we worked on it again today, when we made stuff up, they hurt us."
"So you just have to trust it. I thought our guys when they were in lock and trail and chasing and following our football screening rules they did a really nice job and when they didn't, they hurt us."
"They got layups, they got open threes, and that's the biggest thing. There's some stuff, you know, we'll continue to clean up some stuff in the transition defense. That wasn't good."
"You look at that and then you look at us really just making mistakes in our off-ball rules. That's how they got 52 points in the paint. And that's what this team does. That's what the Warriors do. You have to trust what you're doing defensively."
Redick also acknowledged that transition defense remains an area for improvement, with the Warriors capitalizing on the Lakers’ mistakes to score 52 points in the paint. The key for the Lakers will be trusting the game plan on both offense and defense, ensuring that breakdowns like those seen in the third quarter against the Warriors don’t become a trend as the regular season approaches.
JJ Redick’s focus on discipline, trust, and execution reflects his broader philosophy as the Lakers’ new head coach, as he aims to guide the team back into serious contention.
Related: JJ Redick Opens Up On Anthony Davis' Skillset And How The Lakers Can Maximize His Performance
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