Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick has drawn criticism of late for his tendency to publicly call out his players, with some analysts warning the second-year coach against alienating his locker room.
Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has weighed in on the controversy.
“Oftentimes, I have seen when coaches call their teams out more often than not, they usually lose their locker room,” Green said on “The Draymond Green Show” podcast. “They usually lose the team, and the voice and message start to fall on deaf ears.”
“We’re 30 games into the season, and they’re fourth place in the West,” Green said of Redick’s Lakers. “I can’t honestly say he’s losing that team.”
“I know people keep making a big deal out of it… I’m not one to say that JJ is losing the locker room, or he has to stop these rants. Their dynamic is their dynamic.”
Lakers Responding to JJ?
The 14th-year veteran acknowledged that different teams have varying dynamics, and perhaps the Lakers would respond better to Redick’s rants.
“You have to probably ask how Luka Doncic andd LeBron James feel about it, and I can say they both have a good relationship with JJ Redick. And they probably agree with his rants — the Lakers do need to get better on defense,” added Green.
Not everyone shares Green’s optimism.
A host of analysts have criticized Redick for his recent outbursts in news conferences. While ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins has an issue with Redick blaming everyone else but him and his coaching for the Lakers’ defensive issues, “Gil’s Arena’s” Kenyon Martin feels Redick isn’t respected enough by his players to command such a voice.
“JJ, I don’t know if you know this or not, bro. Them dudes don’t respect you,” Martin said, via Fox News. “You are their peer. Just because you have the head coach title, they don’t look at you as such.”
JJ Redick Called Out
Even Lou Williams has urged his former Clippers teammate to tone it down or risk alienating two megastars such as Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
“I love the fight, JJ, love the intensity, but you have to read the room,” Williams told Fan Duel TV’s “Run it Back” on Monday.
Elsewhere, NFL legend Shannon Sharpe reminded Redick of his comments on ESPN’s “First Take” last year when he ripped Doc Rivers for blaming his Milwaukee Bucks players rather than himself for the team’s issues.
“I think JJ is phenomenal,” Sharpe said on his “Night Cap” podcast. “He understands basketball and can talk about it. But at the end of the day, like he was criticizing Doc, at some point of time, stop telling us what you need to do and get it done.”
“…Bro, we’re 30 games in, and you’re still talking about role clarity and defensive clarity?” Sharpe asked. “I ain’t trying to hear that. Get it done!”
Redick put the Lakers through a strenuous practice session on Saturday after a lengthy team meeting, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Ahead of the meeting, Redick warned that things could get “uncomfortable” for a few players.
The Lakers responded to Redick’s ultimatum Sunday, cruising to a 125-101 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
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