The Los Angeles Lakers head coach is not happy after a 23-point Christmas Day loss to the Houston Rockets. JJ Redick showed this as he tore into the team during a press conference.
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"We don't care enough right now," Redick told reporters. "And that's the part that bothers you a lot. We don't care enough to do the things that are necessary. We don't care enough to be a professional."
The 19-10 Lakers have gone 4-6 in the month of December with three of these wins coming by four or fewer points. The largest margin of victory for the Lakers was eight points against the Jazz on Dec. 18.
The losses in this stretch, for comparison, have all been by at least 13 points. For example, the Celtics beat the Lakers by 21 points on Dec. 5, the Suns beat them by 24 points on Dec. 23, and the Rockets beat them by 23 points on Christmas Day.
"The two words of the day were effort and execution," Redick said about his team's recent stretch. "And I feel like when we've done both of those things at a high level, we've been a good basketball team.
"When we haven't, we're a terrible basketball team. And tonight we were a terrible basketball team. And that started legitimately right away."
JJ Redick: "We're a terrible basketball team and tonight we were a terrible basketball team...we don't care enough to be a professional...we don't have it right now. Saturday's practice I told the guys it's gonna be uncomfortable. The meeting is gonna be uncomfortable. I'm not… pic.twitter.com/gxu42EhO0N
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) December 26, 2025
The Lakers have a tight turnaround to address this issue. The next game takes place on Dec. 28 against the Kings. The Lakers then take on the Pistons to close out 2025.
Redick has noted that the team will have a meeting before this weekend's visit from the Kings. He said that he told the players that it will be "uncomfortable" for them. The second-year coach said that he will not do another 53 games in this manner.
Redick has a significant amount on the line, considering that he is early in his coaching tenure. Los Angeles is one of the NBA's top franchises, one that has boasted some of the biggest names in the sport over the years. This is a franchise that set records in June when the Buss family sold majority ownership for $10 billion.
Redick is only in his second season as head coach. He led the team to a 50-32 record and a trip to the playoffs last season, but they exited after a first-round series loss to the Timberwolves. Now, he has the task of getting the fourth-place Lakers back on track for the final stretch of the season.
