Lakers' JJ Redick Reveals How He'll Push Luka Doncic Moving Forward

During his first season as the Los Angeles Lakers' new head coach, JJ Redick led his team to a 50-32 record and the Western Conference's No. 3 seed. This marked the first time L.A. had avoided suiting up for extra games in the play-in tournament since its invention in 2021.

Redick was lauded for his tactical offensive scheming, as well as for his solid efforts leading the club on the other end prior to the Anthony Davis trade.

The club's lineup with Luka Doncic in tow proved dangerously unbalanced in the postseason.

Redick didn't exactly help matters, often leaning far too heavily on the five Lakers he most trusted — All-Stars Doncic and LeBron James, forwards Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith, and guard Austin Reaves — and exhausting them by the ends of contests in the club's eventual five-game playoff series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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Doncic's fitness and defensive issues came into question during the series.

As Khobi Price of The Orange County Register writes, Doncic apparently is hoping to improve during his first offseason as a Laker.

“He wants to be held accountable,” Redick said. “I want to bring out the best version of Luka. And that’s what he wants from me. And so that’s the partnership going forward. That’s the expectation."

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The 6-foot-6 guard, 26, averaged a solid shooting line of 30.2 points on .452/.348/.891 shooting splits, 7.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks a nigh during the series.

But again, he was often unengaged on defense, and looked noticeably less mobile than he has been in years past. And the Lakers did lose 4-1.

"And that’s the baseline of what we’re trying to do," Redick added of his intentions with Doncic. "Let’s try to bring out the best version of Luka and hopefully win a championship doing that.”

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