J.J. Redick and his attempts to explain the Los Angeles Lakers' recent woes have drawn sharp criticism, with some interpreting his words as a subtle shift of blame onto LeBron James.
J.J. Redick admitted after Saturday's practice that the team's offensive flow has declined since James returned to the lineup in late November.
While Redick blamed the issue on coaching failure, the timing and phrasing immediately raised eyebrows.
“Our offense hasn't been as organized since we got LeBron back,” Redick said. “Too many random possessions. That's my responsibility. It's three things: defensive clarity, role clarity and offensive organization.”
Not everyone is convinced by this explanation.
NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe reacted strongly on his Nightcap podcast, dismissing the idea that schematic adjustments are the core issue for the Lakers.
“Stop!” Sharp said. “We don't need clarity on defense. There's no one to guard except Marcus Smart. It's clear to me, you can't guard.”
He added, “Listen, I think JJ is phenomenal. He understands basketball and he can talk basketball. But at the end of the day, like he criticized Doug, at some point, stop telling us what you need to do and get it done. … Man, we're 30 games in and you're still talking about role clarity and defensive clarity? I don't want to hear this. Get it done!”
The scrutiny didn't stop there.
ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins said recently that Redick's repeated criticism could alienate his locker room.
“It's always everybody else's fault, but it's not JJ Redick's fault,” Perkins said. “That's a problem for me.”
Tensions reportedly escalated after the Lakers lost to the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day. Redick publicly questioned his players' defensive efforts, suggesting the problem stemmed from the same person.
“It's a matter of making a choice, and often we have people who don't want to make that choice [of playing defense]. These guys are very consistent in their identities,” Reddick said.
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