Lakers head coach JJ Redick addressed key tactical and preparation themes during practice on Thursday, April 16, as Los Angeles finalizes its approach for the opening playoff series against the Houston Rockets. His comments centered on rebounding discipline, opponent scouting, and in-game adaptability.
On defensive rebounding and possession control, Redick emphasized the mental and physical layers of finishing stops. He said, “against most teams and particularly against good teams you’re going to have to do a lot of things on a possession and you can do four things right and then if you don’t do the last thing which is finishing the possession with a box out it some of it is mental.”
He also highlighted momentum swings tied to rebounding sequences. “At times those are momentum swinging plays. They can be deflating. We’re going to give up offensive rebounds. It’s just the reality of the situation.”
Redick expanded on how the Lakers are structuring their rebounding discipline. “How many can we prevent with boxing out? How many can we prevent by not leaking out? And how many can we prevent by looking for opportunities to sandwich rebound if they aren’t crashing.”
When asked about player availability, including Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, Redick responded to the media framing directly. “Yeah,” the coach said when asked if he expects everyone to be available except for Doncic. ”We spent Tuesday just getting in a great high intensity practice reinforcing our base stuff whether that was on offense or defense,” he added.
On playoff preparation versus regular season structure, Redick pointed to the shift in focus. “The beautiful thing about the playoffs is your undivided attention goes to one team and you can drill in on all the little minutia and details that you need to.”
Redick also addressed pace expectations in the series against Houston, noting consistency in identity. “I don’t think we necessarily have to change our identity offensively. We had the eighth best half court offense in the league without Luka and AR.” He added that execution matters more than raw tempo, stressing intentionality in half-court possessions.
Speaking on Houston’s star presence, Redick credited Kevin Durant’s scoring profile and efficiency. “He’s one of the greatest scorers ever by volume and by efficiency and he’s seen every defense,” he said, pointing to Durant’s mid-range and perimeter effectiveness.
On tactical flexibility due to roster availability, Redick confirmed openness to adjustments. “All options are on the table,” he said when asked about creative approaches during the series.
He also referenced confidence factors when evaluating perimeter shooting in playoff settings with a single word response: “Confidence.”
