JJ Redick has been very impressive in his debut season as the Los Angeles Lakers head coach, but there have been some struggles in the playoffs. The team is down 3-1 to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Redick’s coaching has come into question.
One person who isn’t a fan of what he’s doing is NBA veteran Marcus Morris, whose twin brother Markieff plays for the Lakers right now. He criticized Redick’s basketball decision, including not having his players double-team Anthony Edwards.
“There’s no way you’re allowing Anthony Edwards to not see a double,” Morris said on “The Kevin O’Connor Show.”
He also doesn’t think the Lakers are doing enough to slow down the Timberwolves’ role players.
“What you’ve done is created confidence in the others … there’s no hesitation [from the reserves],” Morris said. “…What we’re asking LeBron James to do, to play center, power forward, small forward at 40 years old, be efficient, score the ball, get guys in the right shots and make the biggest shots of the game,” Morris said.
At this point, Morris thinks he could potentially be doing a better job than Redick.
“I’m watching the game, I study the game. I could be coaching some of these … teams,” Morris said.
Morris Wants to See Other Players Step Up
The Lakers are getting plenty of production from superstars LeBron James and Luka Doncic. The problem is that nobody else has been consistent. Rui Hachimura scored 23 points in Game 4, but only scored eight points in Game 3.
Austin Reaves has yet to break 20 points in a game. Morris would like to see the Lakers’ role players do more.
“This is not about Luka and LeBron. They are dominating this series. Anthony Edwards is dominating this series. Who else outside of them is dominating for the Lakers?” Morris said.
“AR is playing solid basketball, Rui, I think he could step his level up a little more. Outside of that, who’s playing well?”
He also praised how the Timberwolves’ players are playing in comparison.
“You look at the Wolves, Julius Randle’s playing well, Jaden McDaniels is playing really well, Naz Reid is playing really well and Anthony Edwards, that’s four guys that’s having 20 points in this series,” Morris said.
“You can’t say that about the Lakers. Only two guys that’s playing up to par, and they have to do even more.”
No More Chances
The Lakers won’t be getting any more chances if they don’t win in Game 5. If they lose, the season is over.
In the macro, this has been a successful season for the Lakers. Redick clearly has a bright future as a head coach, and the team landed Doncic in a midseason trade. If Rob Pelinka can do more to build up the roster and set them up for after James retires, the future could be great for Los Angeles.
That said, it would be hard not to feel disappointed with a first-round exit. The Lakers were the third seed in the Western Conference, so losing to the sixth seed in the first round is a disaster. Things are bleak for the Lakers right now, but crazier things have happened.
Brother of Lakers Veteran Takes Shot at JJ Redick