Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick does not take losses well, to say the least, and that has caught the attention of former NBA player Lou Williams.
Redick, after the Lakers were blown off the floor in a 122-102 loss to the shorthanded Atlanta Hawks, made it clear that he was none too pleased with his team's effort, saying that he saw “nothing” from his team in the first two minutes of the game. He said he knew at that time it was going to be a rough night.
While some have lauded Redick for his competitiveness and honesty, his temper and obvious frustration during and after games have earned him criticism from fans and analysts alike. Williams, who played for the Lakers from 2015 to 2017, is one of those people, at least in regards to Redick's recent postgame reaction.
“I ain't love it,” Williams said And if I’m a player, I don’t really love it, especially, we’re in a good run, we’re in a good season. Let’s not overreact and do this like we’re not having our way in this season. We’re having a pretty good season, and JJ should know as well as anybody these type of nights happen. These type of games happen.
“Now, his reaction can be his reaction, but if I’m one of the players and I’m one of the guys playing for him, I’m not really feeling that reaction… We still have 46 minutes left to play, so you’re telling me in those first two minutes, you knew we weren’t going to have a good game, or you didn’t see nothing out of our performance. Some of that is your responsibility as well. If you don’t see us having the juice and having the energy that we need or we’re not executing in a way, then put us in those positions. That’s what your job is, too.”
Technically, both Williams and Redick can be right; the players themselves might not like their coach's public comments after a disappointing loss, but it's possible Redick, whose team is off to a 7-3 start, knows his reaction will get the attention of his players moving forward.
Tonight's road game vs. the Charlotte Hornets should be a good test to see whether Redick was right, especially with L.A. having Sunday off and not having to travel far for a game with a team that has lost three of their first 10 and five of their last six. It is expected that Austin Reaves, who missed Saturday's loss vs. Atlanta, will play tonight in Charlotte.
