Lakers head coach JJ Redick highlighted his team’s defensive performance following their 120-106 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. “Our guys have been a lot better just guarding the basketball and certainly in certain schemes… I think just containing the basketball was really good,” he said.
Redick praised Deandre Ayton’s impact on defense and offense, noting, “DA was fantastic tonight on that end… it’s great for his teammates to see him have a really good performance on both ends of the floor.”
Regarding the team’s offensive adjustments, Redick added, “The first half… we really couldn’t make a shot. He [Ayton] was really the only one scoring efficiently for us. As the half wore on, we were playing pretty good offense.”
The coach also lauded Austin Reaves’ second-half explosion, saying, “The four-point plays were awesome… that’s the first time he’s ever had multiple four-point plays in his career.” He emphasized Reaves’ ability to drive: “That’s when he’s at his best. He’s a fantastic shooter, but he’s at his best when he’s touching the paint.”
Redick spoke about the trust being built within the roster. “The word trust… you think of defense and you think of I got to do my… job. But the other side of trust is making the right play… we’ve consistently been improving on that and it’s getting to a good place,” he said.
On specific defensive coverages, Redick explained, “When he [Anthony Edwards] was at the top, we did a good job of zoning up… we did a really nice job of being there early. We cleaned up a couple things at halftime with the Randle… coverage.”
Discussing Luka Doncic’s influence, Redick noted a trust moment during a challenge: “I trust Beau [Levesque]. Beau trusts Luka. I asked him, ‘What happened on that challenge?’ He said, ‘Luka was adamant.’ I was like, ‘All right, great. We got to do that.’”
The coach reflected on the team’s overall defensive trend: “I’m encouraged by the defense… to be above average… and to have those two performances against those two teams back to back is really encouraging.”
Redick also emphasized the team’s efficiency and care with the basketball, noting, “Since the first game that I ever coached against them… to run offense and to get good looks, and take care of the basketball, you got to be physical… and I thought we did a good job of screening tonight.”
