The Los Angeles Lakers were able to get a victory over the Raptors 131-125. The win gave them a 5-2 start to the season. Right now, LA sits fourth in the Western Conference standings. With a lot of new pieces, JJ Redick is doing the best that he can to put all of them together.
Despite getting the win, Redick was not happy. He was frustrated with how Toronto played in the game. He called both the Raptors and the officials, claiming that Toronto is a team that is constantly fouling while playing defense.
JJ Redick Angry Over Perceived Missed Foul Calls Against the Lakers
In his postgame press conference, Redick was not afraid to call people out.
“We scored 131 points with 24 turnovers. I mean, you guys can see it. Some of those turnovers are because we’re legitimately getting fouled. It’s not like ‘Oh, was that a foul?’ I told one of the referees this, because all of these guys do this; all of the on-ball defenders now, they pick you up, and then they grab you with the arm you’re not dribbling with, and then they try to steal the ball from you. It’s really hard when you play teams like this that are just fouling every possession.”
Redick is putting more of the blame on the referees for not calling more fouls. The emphasis early in the season has been on calling more offensive fouls, with players using their off arm to push off. Redick wants more defensive fouls called. However, more teams have adopted the Thunder brand of defense.
Redick referenced Cason Wallace guarding T.J. McConnell in the NBA Finals two years ago. OKC plays a brand of basketball that puts the pressure on the officials to call fouls, because they can’t call every one. Redick believes that the officials should be able to call more of those plays.
Los Angeles is Playing at a High Level
Despite all of the perceived fouls, the Lakers still got the win. With three new starters, Redick has been able to get his team to play well. To this point in the season, LA has the second-best offense in the NBA. Luka Doncic is also playing like one of the best players in the league.
Doncic is averaging over 37 points per game, which leads the league. His ability to score the ball has opened up opportunities for everyone else on the roster. That’s a big reason why the Lakers have one of the best offenses in the league. They have also remained healthy thus far.
Keeping the roster healthy is going to be the challenge for the rest of the season. So many teams around the league have guys who are out for prolonged periods because of early-season injuries. Los Angeles has avoided that bad luck so far.
Lakers’ JJ Redick Calls Officials in Win Over Raptors