Tuesday night’s loss to the Orlando Magic was a frustrating one for JJ Redick and the Los Angeles Lakers, not just because of the result, but because of how close they were to closing the door. Los Angeles controlled long stretches of the game, yet a few breakdowns late proved costly and capped an uneven eight-game homestand.
Offensively, the Lakers continue to search for consistency. At times the ball moves freely and the floor opens up. At others, the attack stalls and turns into isolation-heavy possessions. Redick acknowledged that balance has been an ongoing challenge, particularly with multiple high-level creators sharing the floor.
“I think you gotta give your guys some leeway to play in early offense versus just playing in the halfcourt,” Redick said after the loss. “We gotta find that balance. This is a team that, they didn’t start in 1-5 (switching), but they played 1-5 the entire game last year. So I thought we were prepared for them to go to Red and switch everything. We had some good stuff. I thought Luke made a difference when he was in the game with just his movement against their switching.”
Luke Kennard provided a noticeable spark off the bench, and overall, Redick felt the Lakers responded well after an ugly showing against the Boston Celtics earlier in the homestand. Effort, energy, and ball movement were areas he believed were trending in the right direction, even if the final score did not reflect it.
“Yeah, every event is its own event. I thought we played well enough to win tonight,” Redick added. “[We] certainly had the edge and played hard enough to win. We played together. We did our best to play the right way and share the basketball,” Redick said, according to reporters in attendance.
Still, moral victories do not show up in the standings. The loss dropped the Lakers to a four-and-four record over the homestand, an outcome that underscored how much ground the team still has to cover.
“We’re a work in progress,” Redick said plainly.
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