After another embarrassing defeat, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves under pressure once again, and the coach JJ Redick did not mince his words at the press conference. On Monday night, Sacramento beat LA 124-112, leaving the Lakers sunk by their own offensive demons despite a huge individual performance from Luka Doncic (42 points) and some flashes of LeBron James.
It’s not just the defeat that is talked about, but the manner. A team that failed to get open shots in while letting the Kings bomb from behind the arc at an insolent percentage.
A match of contrasts: Doncic unstoppable, the Lakers ineffective
The statistical table of the meeting sums up the situation of the Lakers well. Luka Doncic was absolutely dominant, finishing with 42 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds, but his individual brilliance was not enough to swing the result in his team’s favor.
LeBron James added 22 points, and Deandre Ayton had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Despite these performances, the Lakers shot 49% in total, but one of the most glaring figures is elsewhere: only 22% three-point success (8/36).
Conversely, the Kings literally heated the target from afar: 65.4% from three points (17/26), a performance which literally torpedoed the hopes of Los Angeles.
In this context, Redick, faced with an avalanche of missed shots despite clear positions, did not water down anything.
« I think we started off well in the first quarter and then there were a number of open three-pointers that didn’t go in. And obviously, it continued. During that time, they brought in almost everything. I’m sure it’s not that simple…but actually it is. »
A brutal observation, almost disillusioned, but above all very clear: the Lakers had open shots but did not return them. It’s not about a lack of effort, it’s about raw results, and Redick hasn’t hidden behind excuses.
« Literally, we can’t get a shot in. If you look at the stats, the Kings are right next to us as one of the worst shooting teams in the league. And yet, tonight they managed the best percentage, or tied with Houston, that any team has managed this season.
So there you have it, that’s typical. We were 28th before this game in three-point percentage conceded to the opponent, we will be 29th or 30th after tonight. »
“It’s the theme of the season…”
The continuity in frustration was also highlighted by Redick:
« We had 50 potential passes tonight. We only converted 21. The expected score gave us winners by 24 points… That’s the theme. That’s been the theme all season. So you have to keep shooting, I guess. »
This number is revealing: the Lakers moved the ball, they found opportunities, but the conversion did not follow. And Redick did not hesitate to point out a form of repetition in the bad results. And when asked if the outside defense should also be to blame, Redick put things into perspective:
« Three-point defense…I mean, it’s not easy. I’m talking about three-point percentage conceded. It’s typical. If we look, I don’t know if it’s still the case tonight, but over the previous seven games, we were one of the best defenses in the league. So we still do positive things. We simply faced a team with great shooting success this evening. »
Between the lines, it’s a double message: recognize that the opposition was very hot behind the arc, but also not accept that this serves as a complete excuse for the offensive production of the Lakers.
Some individual clearings… which do not help the whole
Even in a heavy defeat, Redick recognized “solid performances” from certain players:
« Luca (Doncic) took shots. Jaxson (Hayes) has been outstanding once again, he’s been playing really solid lately. »
But, at three points, the holders were really in trouble. LeBron (0/5), LaRavia (0/5), Smart (0/3) and Doncic (2/9). As for the replacements, Vanderbilt (0/3) and Knecht (1/4) did not do much better. It is finally, against all expectations, Bronny James who stood out with a nice 2/2. Like what…
This JJ Redick press conference does not sound like an isolated reaction to a defeat. It illustrates a structural problem of efficiency among the Lakers: the offensive talent is there (Doncic, James, Ayton) but the conversion of shots and consistency do not follow. An extremely rare three-point percentage cannot be the only explanation for such a defeat…
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