Kendrick Perkins wasn’t happy with the coaching he saw from J.J. Redick in the Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener against the Warriors.
The Los Angeles Lakers had an embarrassing loss to the Golden State Warriors in the opening game, resulting in a disappointing result.
Even though Luka Doncic matched Shaquille O’Neal with 43 points, the Lakers looked shattered defensively.
The defensive plan to deal with Jimmy Butler proved futile, as former All-Star JJ Redick scored 31 points for the Lakers.
Redick also faced backlash for using Deandre Ayton, with many saying the center was ineffective. But the criticism of Redick doesn’t end there.
Kendrick Perkins spoke today about his disappointing performance in the NBA against the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.
Perkins believes J.J. Redick did everything wrong and didn’t do his best to get the most out of the players available, even though Luka Doncic stepped up and thrived.
“Okay, we don’t have LeBron, but then, JJ, you’ve got to get the most out of the players you have. We saw a team last night that didn’t look ready.
“They didn’t seem to understand what they were doing offensively. The spacing wasn’t right. JJ, you need to step up too.”
“Guys like Marcus Smart and Austin Reeves, Luka included, you want to up your game, and he did that last night. But JJ, on the sidelines, it’s time for you to get serious.”
Last season, JJ Redick was a first-time head coach with zero experience at any level, so many of his shortcomings could be overlooked.
How an inexperienced player landed the job was a question the Lakers’ front office had to answer. However, to everyone’s surprise, Redick did a solid job with the Lakers.
But now he needs to prove he can maintain that level. Redick admitted he missed LeBron James during the game.
That can’t happen. That’s because they have to learn how to adapt if players get injured or are sidelined for some reason.