During a Los Angeles Lakers loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, head coach JJ Redick played starting guard D’Angelo Russell for limited minutes.
After the game during his media availability, Redick was not shy about why he made the decision. According to the first-year head coach, he did not see a level to “compete” and an “attention to detail” from Russell when he was on the court against Memphis.
Redick added that he has spoken to Russell about this for the past few weeks and noted that while the guard has been “really good” about this at times, he fell short and reverted to “old habits” versus the Grizzlies.
JJ Redick did not hold back on D’Lo pic.twitter.com/YyYbSFbbvn
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) November 7, 2024
According to Redick, it wasn’t a “punishment” but rather an attempt to win the game.
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent replaced Russell after this defensive mishap in the third quarter:
D’Angelo Russell was subbed 20 seconds after this and never got put back in pic.twitter.com/B6KzXBa8H0
— Fastbreak Breakfast (@fastbreakbreak) November 7, 2024
It is worth noting that Vincent did not play particularly well either, finishing with 6 points (2-of-8 FG) and 2 turnovers and the second-lowest plus-minus of any player on the team.
After a strong start to the season the Lakers (4-4) are now at .500 and have not looked as sharp of late. They will have a chance to bounce back against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday evening.
