After the Los Angeles Lakers lost 131-114 to the Memphis Grizzlies, head coach JJ Redick was questioned about his decision to bench starting point guard D'Angelo Russell.
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During the postgame press conference, Redick elaborated on why Russell only played six minutes in the second half.
To note, in a season-low 22 minutes, Russell finished with 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting and 2-of-9 from three point range. However, what really stood out was his lackluster defensive performance.
This was the sequence that got D’Angelo Russell benched for the remainder of the game
Did JJ Redick overreact? 🤔
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) November 7, 2024
"Just level of compete, attention to detail, some of the things we've talked with him about for a couple of weeks and at times, he's been really good with that stuff and other times, it's just reverting back to certain habits," Redick said in regard to benching Russell in the second half.
"But it wasn't like a punishment," Redick clarified. "It just felt for us to have a chance to win this game, that was the route we wanted to take."
The only bright spot for the Lakers happened to be 39-year-old LeBron James, who ended the game with 39 points (15-for-24 FG; 6-for-11 3PT).
LeBron James (left); Ja Morant (right)
After starting the year off strong, it appears Redick is getting his first taste of how hard NBA coaching may be. That is to say, after a reporter asked about the effort level displayed across some of his players, the 40-year-old stormed out of the press conference.
Ultimately, the Lakers finished the road trip with a 1-4 record, and are now 4-4 on the season.
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