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JJ Redick’s debut as the new coach of the LA Lakers didn’t result in a victory. Redick’s team lost 124-107 to the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. The Lakers played without LeBron James and Anthony Davis, while the Timberwolves didn’t have Anthony Edwards and the newly acquired Julius Randle.
After the game, Redick opened up about his first time coaching an NBA team and how the Lakers lost. He had this to say about his team performed on Friday (via Dan Woike):
"We got destroyed in the possession battle. … I think there was a lot of good stuff that we did.”
The size difference was obvious when the Timberwolves opened with Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid. Coming off the bench for coach Chris Finch was Luka Garza, another seven-footer, and the 6-foot-11 Jesse Edwards.
The Lakers’ frontcourt featured Jaxson Hayes and forward Rui Hachimura before Kylor Kelley and Colin Castleton took their runs. On paper, the Wolves should have dominated the rebounding battle, but LA’s frontcourt competed before losing 38-41.
JJ Redick must have also included the LA Lakers’ 21 turnovers, five more than Minnesota’s, in his analysis. The Timberwolves’ second-stringers were mostly veterans before the younger ones finished the game. LA’s execution wasn’t as fluid, leading to stagnant possessions on offense.
Redick, though, was encouraged by how his players competed. Even when they went down big early, the team kept working together as a unit.
JJ Redick kept his promise to run more sets with the Lakers
When the LA Lakers signed JJ Redick, the former analyst told reporters that he would run more sets for the team. He didn’t like the “random” playing style of the Lakers last season, which resulted in inefficiency.
In LA’s first play of the game, Redick busted out Dan Hurley’s trademark play at UConn. Hurley was the Lakers’ first choice to coach before he turned it down to continue guiding the Huskies. Whether it was trolling Hurley or not, the play was well executed.
The Lakers kept running sets until the game was over. Players knew their roles and did as asked.
JJ Redick conceded that he would inevitably cede playmaking calls to LeBron James and Austin Reaves in certain situations. However, for the most part, expect the Lakers to follow through with their game plans with Redick on the sidelines.
