Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised his team’s defensive adjustments after Monday night’s 121–111 win over Charlotte at Spectrum Center.
“To hold a team to 38 points over the span of two quarters is tough to do. They’re top 10 offense. I thought we did a really good job as the game progressed of getting to our red-to-ices and keeping the ball out of the paint,” Redick said.
Redick singled out Rui Hachimura for his impact on both ends, noting, “Marcus led us on defense, but Rui had a stretch there in the third. It was as good as we’ve seen him on that end of the floor. And then on top of that, he was making shots on the other end to give us that cushion. He was seven for seven in the second half, and some of the shots difficult.”
The coach highlighted Hachimura’s energy and awareness, explaining, “Just with the energy first of all, he was flying around. One possession in particular, he got to the red-to-ice when they tried to get the ball going middle. We ended up getting a stop. His activity level, and when he’s in rhythm offensively, you just feel like it’s going in every time.”
Redick also praised the Lakers’ ball-handling, saying, “Just three combined turnovers for Doncic and Reaves. I think as a team we have 11. They did a good job executing. They played fantastic, got good shots, missed some threes, but put a lot of pressure on the defense.”
On building consistency and team identity, Redick said, “It certainly captured at moments some of our identity. We all want to find that consistency for a full 48 minutes. You have to be able to respond to adversity, a bad call, a missed shot, a turnover, a blown coverage, whatever it may be, and just get onto the next play.”
He also applauded the Lakers’ ability to self-correct midgame. “Our huddles were great tonight. Every time we came back, they were trying to problem solve in real time. That’s a mark of a really good team. A lot of teams aren’t able to do that player-to-player, and our guys were great with that tonight.”
Redick commented on Luka Doncic’s third-quarter dunk, calling it “awesome” and “fun to see him letting out some emotion.” He also noted Austin Reaves’ performance, adding, “He played really well defensively, had some nice containment plays, and made it out of it pretty clean. It’s good to see a little bit of that explosion off the dribble that we’ve become accustomed to.”
The Lakers, now 8-3, will continue their road trip in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. Charlotte drops to 3-7 as it seeks stability without LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.
