After beating the Houston Rockets 140-109, Los Angeles Lakers rookie head coach JJ Redick reflected on clinching the third seed in his first season while looking ahead to the playoffs.

Redick and the Lakers have championship aspirations. Los Angeles’ shocking Anthony Davis blockbuster trade to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic turned them into title contenders, elevating them into the upper echelon of the Western Conference.

After Friday’s win, Redick briefly reflected on his first regular season before alerting reporters that the Lakers’ 2024-25 campaign is far from finished, per Spectrum Sports Network.

“It’s not done. I spent all of 3½ minutes on the flight back from Dallas just thinking about making the playoffs and thinking about the coaching profession. I think as a coach, you’re obviously judged on regular-season wins and losses and your ability to get to the playoffs.

“But I think the other two things that you’re really judged on are the way you’re really able to handle the pressure of the playoffs, the adjustments, the in-game stuff; there’s still so much work that we have to do. Myself, my staff and I also think you’re judged on the culture you create.”

Locked into the third seed, Los Angeles is positioned to face the Golden State Warriors in the opening round of the playoffs, which NBA analyst Paul Pierce says threatens to eliminate the Lakers.

JJ Redick on the Lakers’ championship hopes

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Lakers head coach JJ Redick says his team often discusses winning a championship. It isn’t a conversation the Lakers tiptoe around; it’s at the forefront of their mission.

“It’s every team’s goal to win a championship. It’s something that I think we’ve talked about as a group, but we make no assumptions,” Redick said. “I think the biggest thing that we’ve done is really just focused on the next thing in front of us.”

The postseason is now just around the corner.

“And then the next thing in front of that would be our opponent in the first round,” Redick continued. “And that’s just how we have to operate and think. But I’ve said all season that I have a very high belief level in the group.”

After hosting the Rockets in their 140-109 win on Friday, the Lakers will finish their regular-season schedule on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers in a matinee at the Moda Center on Sunday.