PHOENIX — The situation Lakers Coach JJ Redick found himself in Tuesday night at Mortgage Matchup Center has become all too familiar. Once again, Redick was fielding questions from reporters after his team looked lethargic and slow-footed in a loss—this time, a 132-108 defeat to the Phoenix Suns.
It’s a snapshot of why all of the Lakers’ losses this season have been by double digits, and why, despite having 10 more wins than losses entering Thursday’s Christmas Day matchup against the Houston Rockets, the team’s point differential is a mere plus-eight. For context, the Suns, with three fewer wins and four more losses than the Lakers, are next closest in point differential at plus-29.
Redick acknowledged the Suns are exactly the kind of young, energetic team that gives the Lakers trouble.
“The theme with our team again is like these young teams that move, we just can’t move,” he said. “It’s like we’re stuck in mud.”
The Lakers’ issues Tuesday extended beyond the absence of 40% of their normal starting lineup (Luka Doncic and Rui Hachimura) due to injuries. Once again, they were outworked and outhustled. Defensively, they were consistently several steps behind—common themes in their defeats this season.
As Redick explained, many of the Lakers’ struggles came down to making tough choices on the court.
“There [are] shortcuts you can take, or you can do the hard thing, and you can make the second effort or you can sprint back,” Redick said. “Or you can’t. It’s just a choice. And there’s a million choices in a game, and you’re very likely not gonna make every choice correctly.
“But can you make the vast majority of ’em correctly? It gives you a chance to win. It’s not the easy choice. It’s human nature. We all do it. We do it on a daily basis. We make easy choices cause it’s comfortable. Comfortable doesn’t win.”
Veteran guard Marcus Smart echoed Redick’s sentiments.
“We’re being real [expletive] right now, and it’s showing,” Smart said. “There’s really no defense, no scheme we can do when we’re giving up offensive rebounds in crucial moments like we are, or guys are getting wherever they want on the court. And there’s no help, there’s no resistance, there’s no urgency.
“And JJ is right. There’s really nothing he can do. It’s on us. We appreciate the coaches for everything they do, but it’s on us ultimately; we got to figure it out.”
The messaging was familiar, which led to new questions: Is there a difference between a team filled with players whose default is to play hard and physical, versus a team of players who need reminders to do so?
“Yeah, that’s accurate,” Redick responded.
Do the Lakers, as currently constructed, have enough guys who play that way?
“No,” Redick replied.
With the current roster, can they get enough consistent effort to reach their defensive goals?
“I think so,” Redick responded after a three-second pause.
The Lakers, now coming off consecutive losses for the first time this season, will have a chance to bounce back against the Rockets.
“The guys have been great about responding to challenges, whether that’s been injuries, a loss, poor performance,” Redick said. “A lot of games left. So we gotta continue that trend and we gotta stick together.
“You’re not gonna have a good taste in your mouth and you’re gonna be thinking about how you played, how the team’s playing. It’s like I told ’em: detach [on Wednesday]. Be with your family. Enjoy the holiday. We’ll all come with the right mentality on Christmas.”
**ROCKETS AT LAKERS**
**When:** Thursday, 5 p.m.
**Where:** Crypto.com Arena
https://www.ocregister.com/2025/12/24/jj-redick-delivers-blunt-criticism-of-lakers-defensive-effort/