Since his beloved Detroit Pistons are batting the New York Knicks in a must-win Game 6 on Thursday night, Jalen Rose is likely on edge. He is not showing signs of nervousness, however, while filling in for Charles Barkley as a TNT analyst. Actually, his sense of humor appears just as strong as ever. While discussing Tom Thibodeau's wildly unpopular decision to not use his final timeout to get Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart back on the court, he ventured across the country and used the Los Angeles Lakers to deliver a striking punchline.
“Has Thibs been watching JJ Redick coach?” the Detroit, Michigan native quipped, via ClutchPoints. The wounds are still fresh in LA, following an unceremonious five-game exit at the hands of the No. 6-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.
Many fans are taking issue with the first-year head coach's overall performance in the opening-round playoff series, but Rose is presumably alluding to his now-infamous Game 4 decision.
“Has Thibs been watching JJ Redick coach?”
Jalen Rose takes shots at the Lakers coach after Tom Thibodeau didn’t call a timeout to get Jalen Brunson in the game down the stretch of Knicks-Pistons Game 5 👀🍿pic.twitter.com/XP6x951SX2
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 1, 2025
Redick confusingly made no substitutions in the entire second half, as a once probable road victory slipped through the Lakers' grasp. LeBron James and Luka Doncic both played 46 minutes while Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith each logged 41. The bench did not make much of an impact when on the floor, but perhaps that would have changed with a larger on-court sample size.
LA took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter but seemingly ran out of gas, scoring only 19 points across the final 12 minutes in what became a 116-113 loss. The team did not recover from there, falling 103-96 to the Timberwolves in Wednesday's series-clincher.
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Rudy Gobert's stunningly dominant 27-24 Game 5 performance in Crypto.com Arena, which came after he totaled 14 points and 25 rebounds in the previous four contests combined, further exposed the Lakers' desperate need for a reliable interior presence. However, that desperate need does not excuse JJ Redick in the eyes of the public. He played Jaxson Hayes, arguably LA's best center option at this time, a total of 30 minutes in the series.
Despite showcasing his coaching acumen at various points during the 2024-25 campaign, the former shooting guard will be an easy target following his postseason missteps. Jalen Rose is just one of several people to roast the guy. Redick could stew about it, or he could use it as motivation heading into a bitterly long offseason.
Rose himself could be subjected to some ridicule if the Pistons get eliminated from the playoffs in their own building.