Stop us if you've heard this one before but LeBron James's sensational effort on Wednesday night was wasted after his supporting cast let him down in a 131-114 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. The 39-year-old scored 39 points on 15-for-24 shooting but was powerless to keep things close as the Lakers played without two starters. It is only early November but Los Angeles is now 1-4 on the road and 4-4 overall as a trend is developing. James is playing like he's 29 or 19 but it's just not enough. And even though he's a physical specimen it's not a great sign if he's being tasked with carrying this team for 82 games just to earn entry into the postseason.
That's something rookie coach JJ Redick will have figure out.
He was unhappy with the effort of his team outside of James and let that be known during the postgame presser. Which he punctuated with a bit of a mic drop moment.
Redick was asked how he would address the perceived lack of effort with his team, to which he said "I just did" as he walked out of the interview room.
Because it's the internet many people are misinterpreting this as having something to do with the reporter. But Redick's move here is clearly aimed at the Lakers and calling them out publicly, then doing something that will draw attention to it, is a fairly veteran move for someone who has coached all of eight games.
We'll see how the Lakers respond.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as JJ Redick Delivers Strong Message to His Team After Latest Loss.
