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Lakers’ JJ Redick keeps it real about LA’s defense minus LeBron James
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- Lakers’ JJ Redick keeps it real about LA’s defense minus LeBron James
The post Lakers' JJ Redick keeps it real about LA's defense minus LeBron James appeared first on ClutchPoints .
Before the Los Angeles Lakers ' road tilt in Atlanta , JJ Redick told reporters he likes where the defense sits through nine games, even with LeBron James sidelined, and circled two fixes for this trip.
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Cleaner transition defense and answers for "unorthodox" pick-and-rolls. He also shouted out DeAndre Ayton 's rim protection metrics as a closest defender trending near the top of the league, per an exchange relayed by The Athletic's Law Murray on X, formerly Twitter.
On paper, there's progress; the latest data point was a 122–102 loss to the Atlanta Hawks , where execution wobbled in the middle quarters . Los Angeles turned it over 20 times and gave up 51.1% shooting, numbers that make any scheme look ordinary. Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 22 points and 11 assists, while Atlanta's balance, Mouhamed Gueye 's 21, and Zaccharie Risacher 's shot-making kept pressure on all night.
Redick's larger point still lands. Without James, the Lakers have tried to win on connectivity. One effort on the ball, bell-ringing closeouts, and a big in stance at the rim. The misses show up when the floor tilts in transition or when creative screening angles scramble matchups. That's why Redick highlighted those "unorthodox" pick-and-rolls, empty-side actions, pocket passes that force the low man to tag and recover. Clean up those rotations, and the profile tightens.
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James' absence looms; he did not travel on the current five-game trip as he ramps toward five-on-five work. The earliest realistic return date circled has been mid-November. Until then, Los Angeles needs Ayton's contests to hold , Austin Reaves to navigate screens without fouling, and role players to sprint to corners so the defense isn't defending live-ball turnovers.
Related: Lakers' JJ Redick teases Austin Reaves' injury return
Related: JJ Redick blasts Lakers for lack of fight vs. shorthanded Hawks
