The Los Angeles Lakers have been up and down this season.
Their best version looks like a legitimate contender, but their worst version is a borderline Play-In Team.
That’s where most teams are at this point after so little competition.
That’s also the perfect time to hold players accountable and ensure bad habits don’t snowball.
With that in mind, J.J. Redick sent D’Angelo Russell a clear message with his playing time in the loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
As pointed out by Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the first-year coach claimed that Russell didn’t play as much because of his “level of compete”:
“J.J. Redick said D’Angelo Russell only played 22 minutes tonight because of Russell’s ‘level of compete’ and ‘attention to detail.’ He said he felt Russell reverted to old habits and Redick wanted to see more of Gabe Vincent out there,” wrote Buha.
JJ Redick said D’Angelo Russell only played 22 minutes tonight because of Russell’s “level of compete” and “attention to detail.” He said he felt Russell reverted to old habits and Redick wanted to see more of Gabe Vincent out there.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) November 7, 2024
Russell’s career has been inconsistent, and he hasn’t lived up to the big hype he had when he first entered the league.
Granted, Gabe Vincent might not be the answer at point guard for this team either, but Redick is doing the right thing by sending this message and holding everybody accountable.
As a former player himself, he knows what players do or don’t do and how they must conduct themselves in both practice and games.
Vincent hasn’t gotten off to a solid start to the season – or his Lakers career, for what it’s worth – but he comes from the Miami Heat’s hard-nosed culture.
As a young and inexperienced coach, Redick needs to set the tone and record straight before these things get out of hand.
At the end of the day, it’ll be up to Russell whether he gets more playing time or finishes the season somewhere else.
NEXT: Chandler Parsons Reveals Who Deserves Blame When Lakers Lose
