Few eyebrows were raised when JJ Redick took over the reins of the Los Angeles Lakers. Redick’s tenure embodies the player he was in Dallas: poised, rigid, and with an eye for the minute details. It’s safe to say that he’s done a commendable job with the franchise.
But sometimes, his timeouts and decisions leave people bewildered, especially the one he took against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2. With the Lakers ready to inbound, Redick set his team up but confused fans and players alike by calling a timeout and berating the players on the floor.
Redick spotted something unusual in the players’ body language, which can affect a team’s performance. When asked why he did that, he gave a peculiar response.
JJ Redick Addresses the Bizarre Timeout Decision
The incident happened during the third quarter with the Lakers up by 62-51. With Luka Dončić ready to inbound the ball, Redick quickly called a timeout and went on a rant with a barrage of F-bombs.
Microphones caught the rant, “Time out. What the f*ck is going on? Jesus f*cking Christ, what the f*ck are you guys doing? Come on!”
But he soon clarified the decision to take the timeout. Redick stated, “Not frustrations, just coaching. I think we were organized in the right spots. We were, we did some good stuff. And frankly, I thought we missed some open 3s. They got some great looks.”
He looked animated on the court and directed the players to put in more effort. “So, I mean other than you know, just a couple of disorganized plays, we played good offense tonight, and I just, as a coach, you can see it coming when the other side of that is on the horizon, and it was building and just wanted to make sure that everybody’s on the same page,” he concluded.
But it turned out to be a masterstroke. The team gained a 20-point advantage after the brief pause.
In the meantime, LeBron James spoke about Redick’s call and had a rather interesting opinion. “We understand JJ is going to spaz out from time to time,” said James after the odd timeout.
But it all worked out well, with the Lakers dominating the game from start to finish.
Luka Dončić Sprinkles Magic in Convincing Lakers Win
The Lakers completed the rout with a scoreline of 94-85, with Dončić becoming a man on a mission. He scored 22 points in the first half alone, shooting 60% from the field and perfect from the free-throw line with 8-8. He wrapped up the game with one assist short of a triple-double and hopes to continue this momentum into the next.
The Lakers won the rebounding battle with 41 rebounds to the Timberwolves’ 34 and had six major blocks.
But they won the game looking for open looks, something they lacked in Game 1. Compared to the FG% of 39.8, the team remained locked up for Game 2 with 45.3%. It isn’t true for Anthony Edwards and Co., though.
They dropped their FG% from 51.2 to 38.0 in Game 2. To think this series is over remains a stretch. Fans wouldn’t be surprised if it goes down to Game 7. If so, get your popcorn ready and enjoy the matchups!