Lakers head coach JJ Redick provided an in-depth update on the team ahead of Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. On Rui Hachimura’s status, Redick said, “He was able to do everything in practice today. He’s trending towards being able to play. … He’ll likely come off the bench given he’s going to have him in his restriction.”
Redick outlined the impact of Hachimura’s absence: “Shooting. Lots of shooting. I mean, he’s our—he’s our best catch-and-shoot guy. One of the best guys in the league.” He also discussed how Jake LaRavia has filled in, noting, “Jake has played pretty well with that starting lineup. … I haven’t made any decisions.”
The Lakers’ guard rotation was a topic as well, with Redick asked about Dennis Schroder’s suspension: “It’s a league matter. I don’t really have any comment on it to be honest with you. They made their decision.”
Redick reflected on his own growth dealing with on-court pressure, saying, “Well, I’ve talked about this a lot. My freshman sophomore year at Duke was very difficult emotionally and mentally … I took therapy for 3 years at Duke and grew out of it.”
Luka Doncic’s recent struggles were also addressed: “He’s not going to be perfect. … If you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing, and you’re, you know, for me it’s coaching, for Luka, it’s scoring and facilitating and playmaking … there’s going to be more positive than negative and he’s going to help his team win.” Redick added, “Our players certainly have all of them individually … Luka when he’s been in the lineup has held a lion share of contributing to winning.”
Redick addressed the team’s demanding schedule this month, explaining, “Yeah. Every damn week I’m over. … There’s a catch-22 because every time the schedule comes out and you look at it, you say, ‘Oh, this little stretch is going to be nice,’ but the catch is that you’re going to make it up with a brutal stretch.”
On practice adjustments, he said, “We made the decision 12, 13 days ago that we weren’t going to do shootaround any morning anymore. … The other part of it was just reading personnel. What are we actually getting out of shootaround based on who’s on our team?”
Redick shared a personal connection to LeBron James’ first career game in Sacramento: “I watched it … I think if I remember correctly, they were running Floppy for him … I don’t think he’s ran Floppy in 15 years, but his first bucket was on Floppy, which is nuts.
Looking ahead to Monday’s matchup at Golden 1 Center, Redick acknowledged the challenge of balancing player health and performance: “We’ll figure out if Rui is available… he’ll likely come off the bench given his restriction. We’re continuing to try to find that balance” between offense and defense.
The Lakers, currently fifth in the Western Conference with a 23-13 record, while the Kings sit 14th in the West at 9-30.
