JJ Redick Takes Blame for Lakers’ First Loss – And Players Appreciate It

PHOENIX — JJ Redick said he’ll try to give himself grace.

But he’s too self-aware and even predicted before the Lakers’ first game of the season that he would be driven crazy when they lost.

The Lakers and the public got a closer look at what that looks like a week into the season.

Following Monday night’s 109-105 loss to the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center, the Lakers coach took blame for a variety of factors that led to his team’s loss after three wins to start the season.

And in the locker room, Redick was appreciated for it.

“He said the sweet F-word, which just shows how much he cares,” Lakers guard Austin Reaves said of Redick’s behavior after the game. “His passion is on another level. You can tell every second of every day that he is committed to improving our group.”

Redick’s frustration was palpable as he spoke to reporters after the game.

As part of that disappointment, there was also introspection: The 40-year-old coach took responsibility for the Lakers’ 14-point second-quarter lead and for not getting the ball over Kevin Durant early in the fourth quarter.

Durant scored eight of his 30 points in two minutes, switching to the smaller Lakers’ guards late in the game to help the Suns secure the win.

“If there’s anyone to pick on, it’s probably me,” Redick said. “I probably should have gone on fire a couple of goals earlier against KD. But I liked the group we had on defense. I trust these guys.

“And I would also say that we should never have a 14-point quarter. So that’s on me too. Part of it is me. I have to make sure we have a good offense. I thought it was a bit random. We’ve stalled. We talked about this during the break. To be a high-level striker, we need to move our bodies and the ball. They need to check.”

Redick’s responsibility was felt privately by players in the locker room before Redick took the blame publicly.

“He’s angry,” Anthony Davis said. “Said it would be on him if you guys scored 14 points in the quarter.”

Redick’s approach allowed players to look inside themselves.

“It’s the responsibility of all of us, not just him,” Davis said. “Obviously he is the coach and will try to take the blame. But we scored 14 points. Players, right? This is something we could have done better as a group, coaching staff and players, but we didn’t. We learned from that, we’ll watch film on that and how we can’t have another 14-point quarter this season and learn from our mistakes.

“But he is very angry. We’re all angry. Simply because we play well and no one likes to lose. Everyone here is a competitor, and any loss could be quite severe.”

Reeves added: “That’s what a leader does. I guarantee that if you walk around the locker room and ask the guys what they could (do) better to help us, I definitely know (there are) a lot of things I could (do) do. So you just have a locker room full of guys who are taking responsibility and just enjoying the process of trying to get better. When you have a problem, you must first admit that you have it. So you have to take it like a man and figure out what you can do to be better.”

The Lakers (3-1) will continue their five-game road trip that began in Phoenix against the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers (4-0) on Wednesday night.