Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick highlighted the impact of his big men and team defense following Monday’s 120-101 victory over the Washington Wizards at Crypto.com Arena.
“It’s so important for those guys, you know, for our team for them to put pressure on the rim,” Redick said, reflecting on Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes’ performance. He added, “DA just as a roller I thought was great tonight. Jaxson out of our 88 spacing always does a really good job playing off, you know, LeBron or Luka right there.”
Redick emphasized that the Lakers’ approach is not for bigs to shoot threes but to attack the rim. “The emphasis is not for our bigs to pick and pop and shoot threes but it’s to put pressure on the rim,” he said. Hayes’ energy early in the game helped swing momentum, with Redick noting, “He had a great first run and DA had a terrific second run. Both those guys were really good in the first half.”
Luke Kennard also drew praise for his role off the bench. “He’s very steady and very consistent in execution, in effort. There’s a gravity that he has off the ball both as a spacer and as a mover,” Redick said. Kennard contributed 19 points in the win, complementing Hayes’ 19 and Ayton’s 12.
LeBron James’ performance did not go unnoticed. “He hit a triple-double tonight at 41 years old. Another one. That’s pretty majestic,” Redick said after James recorded 21 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. The victory marked James’ 1,228th career win, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most in NBA history. “He ties the wins record for playoffs in regular season. He’s very praiseworthy,” Redick added.
Defensively, Redick detailed the Lakers’ approach to three-point defense. “There’s two ways to sort of measure expected field goal percentage, expected three-point percentage,” he explained, noting that the team has limited opponents to under 25% shooting from deep in six of the last eight games. “If teams are slightly underperforming, whatever the expected is, then that’s probably just some level of progression to the mean for us.”
The coach also reflected on the development of Jake LaRavia, noting his defensive improvements. “His blowby rate is down. He’s guarding Carrington, he shuffles his feet three different ways, no separation created, stays down on a shot fake, and literally takes the ball from the guy,” Redick said, highlighting the guard’s impact on fast breaks.
Redick praised the combination of Ayton and Hayes as a tandem. “Both of those guys are playing their best basketball of the season for what the team needs at the right moment,” he said. He noted their growth in footwork, pick-and-roll execution, and offensive rebounding, calling their contributions “unbelievable” for the Lakers’ success.
Los Angeles improved to 7-6 without Luka Doncic this season and continues to chase a playoff berth and Pacific Division title, with Redick noting the importance of each player executing their role. “We just trust him [LaRavia] and the coaching staff loves him,” he said, emphasizing the team’s confidence in its roster depth.
