Former NBA champ digs at JJ Redick's podcast with LeBron James amid Lakers’ recent woes: "That was the name of their podcast"
After JJ Redick and the LA Lakers suffered their second straight blowout loss on Wednesday night, Kendrick Perkins got witty with his criticism.
"They didn't 'Mind the Game' yesterday in South Beach, did they?" said the ESPN analyst on an episode of NBA Today. "That was the name of their podcast."
"We're going there?" Malika Andrews asked as she grinned.
"Yeah, we're going there," Perkins replied without skipping a beat.
For Lakers fans, there was nothing to smile about after the Miami Heat's resounding 134-93 win. Before the Wednesday game, the largest margin in a Lakers loss this season had been 27, courtesy of the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 26. The 41-point deficit in South Beach is now the lowest point in the early goings of the Redick regime.
Back to the drawing board for Redick
The Lakers (12-10) are 22 games into this season, which means that the numbers are sufficient to characterize them on both ends of the floor. In particular, the loss in Miami points to their most glaring weaknesses — in other words, the top priorities of their rookie coach as he goes back to the drawing board.
For one, the Lakers made just five of their 22 attempts from deep. In this era of NBA basketball, it's tough for a team with a 22.7% outside shooting clip to win on a consistent basis. And this wasn't a blip on their radar, either: In their past three games, the Lakers managed just 19.4% against Minnesota, 21.2% opposite Utah and 28.9% versus Oklahoma City.
Another area of concern is rebounding. The Lakers are 27th in the league in this category (and, to be specific, 24th in offensive boards). A team with subpar shooting from beyond the arc needs to have the safety net of multiple attempts, at the least. However, outside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the numbers in the rebounding department are not as prolific as Redick would like them to be.
"On this day, they gave very little effort," analyst Brian Windhorst said moments before Kendrick Perkins dropped his witty remark. "You combine a bad defensive team with very little effort, you are going to get blown out, and that's what happened."
Windhorst, of course, was alluding to the fact that the Lakers have the third worst defensive rating in the NBA at 117.7. (In contrast, the OKC Thunder — widely considered to be the league's best defensive team — have a defensive rating of 103.9). The Lakers are 22nd in terms of points given up. In particular, they struggle to contain points in the paint, yielding 52.2 inside points on a nightly basis.
To be sure, there's plenty of time for the Lakers to turn things around this season. Sooner or later, their coach will figure out rotations and defensive schemes that are more sustainable. Until then, however, JJ Redick will remain under the microscope of analysts across all networks.
"Why the hell is your team not competing? Do you not have the ears of your locker room?" Perkins said in his Redick-centered tirade on ESPN. "Why are these guys not listening to you? That's the real question."