It will be a long offseason in Los Angeles after the Lakers were easily put to rest by the Timberwolves in a five-game playoff series.
Rookie Lakers coach JJ Redick had a difficult time nailing down his team’s rotations and even struggled to manage his emotions, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“Reggie Miller said on the broadcast last night he had to try to calm him down in the pregame meeting because JJ was acting, frankly, childishly,” Windhorst said on Thursday’s episode of “Get Up.”
Redick stormed out of his pregame press conference with reporters after he was asked whether he had reflected on his decision to leave the same five-man lineup on the court for the entire second half of Game 4 and if he has an assistant he may lean on to help in such a situation.
Los Angeles blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter to go down 3-1 in the series that set the stage for Wednesday’s elimination.
“Are you saying that because I am inexperienced and that was an inexperienced decision that I made?” a seething Redick responded before storming out of the room. “You think I don’t talk to my assistants about substitutions every single timeout? That’s a weird assumption.”
It’s unknown whether Redick had his pregame meeting with the broadcast crew before or after his press conference, but Windhorst recalled Miller saying he had to try to help calm him down.
“I don’t mean this in a personal way, JJ Redick coached very immaturely in this series,” Windhorst continued. “In retrospect, JJ will realize that he did not put the Lakers in the best position to win.”
Windhorst also cited the Lakers’ coach doubling down on his “irrational” substitution patterns in Game 4 and then opting to use Maxi Kleber in Game 5, who had last played in January.
Redick instead put center Jaxson Hayes on ice in Game 5 after he averaged 7.5 minutes in the first four contests and 19.5 minutes during the regular season.
The offseason ahead will surely feature tons of questions about the roster and whether the Lakers will continue to build around 40-year-old LeBron James, who now has Luka Doncic as a running mate.
Los Angeles will need to improve its roster, particularly at center, and snag several defensive guards to give them a chance at competing for titles going forward.
The Mavericks made NBA Finals last year with Doncic as their best player in part because their backcourt featured multiple centers who could defend the basket and cover up his defensive mistakes.
General manager Rob Pelinka has his work cut out for him.