JJ Redick drops truth bomb on why NBA players flame out of the league

LOS ANGELES – For any basketball player, no matter what level, one of the absolute most important keys to success is playing hard. But in actuality, what does playing really mean? What does playing hard actually look like when it’s manifested on the court? For Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick, he is of the opinion that most basketball players, including some in the NBA, don’t actually know what playing hard truly means.

In fact, JJ Redick took it a step further during his pregame press conference ahead of the Lakers’ game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, as he said not knowing how to play hard is a key factor in why NBA players flame out of the league.

“I have seen this, not just with young NBA players, but I think any young basketball player, most players don’t understand what playing hard is. They actually don’t understand what that is and they think they’re playing hard but they’re not,” Redick said. “And so you have to reinforce when they’re playing hard. You have to show them on film when they are playing hard. . .they have to see what it looks like. The other part of that is when you do have 1-2-3 guys that are leading in that way, it forces everybody else to play hard because you stick out like an eyesore. So it just takes a couple guys going full tilt and everybody kind of has to follow suit.”

“I do think you can teach it. And it’s different for every guy. . .if I’m not telling you you’re playing hard, that means you’re not playing hard. So you’ll hear it when you’re playing hard. So you should assume you’re not playing hard if you don’t hear it from me,” Redick continued. “You talk it through with the player. Some guys probably will never get there, and those guys generally don’t play in the NBA very long.”

When it comes to playing hard on the Lakers, one player who certainly embodies that mentality is Marcus Smart. Smart has built a career off of being a disruptive defender who brings nearly unmatched intensity and energy on the court.

In the first half of the Lakers’ game against the Timberwolves on Friday, Smart there was one play that summed up exactly why the team acquired Smart. He found himself matched up against Wolves star Anthony Edwards, proceeded to rip the ball from Edwards on a drive, came up with the loose ball, and threw an outlet pass ahead to Austin Reaves for an easy bucket.