Lakers regroup with team meeting, lengthy practice after JJ Redick ripped team's effort: 'The truth is uncomfortable'
- - Lakers regroup with team meeting, lengthy practice after JJ Redick ripped team's effort: 'The truth is uncomfortable'
Chris CwikDecember 28, 2025 at 11:50 AM
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Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick promised an "uncomfortable" practice Saturday after his team lost in embarrassing fashion on Christmas. Following a team meeting and a long practice Saturday, the Lakers appear to be back on the same page after a three-game losing streak.
Redick, in particular, was far more calm and collected, taking some blame for calling out his players following the team's loss to the Houston Rockets, per ESPN.
"Myself, I'm always going to look in the mirror first," said Redick, who is in his second season as Lakers coach. "And I think it's easy as a player, as a coach to say, 'It's this guy's fault,' or, 'We're not doing this because X, Y, and Z.'"
Was it uncomfortable?
"The truth is uncomfortable," Redick said, "and so you have to put everything out there, that's all it is."
While Redick's note about the truth being uncomfortable suggests it was a contentious meeting, it doesn't appear that was the case. The coach later classified it as a day of "recalibration and reconnection." He noted the team's staff had a "great meeting" and said speaking to players was "very positive."
A few Lakers players seemed to agree with that sentiment. Both Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton expressed optimism the team would bounce back following the meeting.
That was quite the shift from Thursday, when Redick called out the team's effort and motivation following a 119-96 loss to the Rockets.
“We don’t care enough right now. That’s the part that bothers me a lot. We don’t care enough to do the things that are necessary. We don’t care enough to be professional.
It’s a matter of making the choice, and too often we have guys that don’t want to make that choice. It’s pretty consistent who those guys are. Saturday’s practice, I told the guys, it’s going to be uncomfortable. Meeting is going to be uncomfortable. I’m not doing another 53 games like this.”
In particular, Redick hasn't been pleased with the team's defensive performance in recent games. On Tuesday, he ripped the team's defensive effort after a loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Those struggles continued on Christmas, as the Lakers were outrebounded 48-25. That, seemingly, was one of the main reasons for Redick's rant.
Ayton, who leads the team in rebounds, said Saturday he would hold players accountable during games moving forward. Ayton had just two rebounds against the Rockets on Thursday. He blamed that on a lack of focus.
After getting out to a hot start, the Lakers have faded somewhat in recent weeks. The team sits at 19-10, good for the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. There's still plenty of time to turn things around, though the team's task will be harder following an injury to Austin Reaves.
The Lakers will look to get back on track Sunday, when the team takes on the Sacramento Kings. At 8-23, the Kings are one of the worst teams in the league. A dominant win by the Lakers on Sunday would go a long way toward proving the team has moved on following Redick's angry rant Thursday.
Source: “AOL Sports”
