"Not how we wanna play" - JJ Redick shows frustration over Lakers' 'stagnant' iso ball offense
JJ Redick wasn't impressed with how the Lakers offense collapsed in the third quarter of Tuesday's preseason showdown against the Warriors. The Lakers were down seven points entering the halftime break but couldn't capitalize on it coming out of halftime. They generated top-quality shots in the opening 24 minutes but couldn't get shots to fall.
While Redick was encouraged by the shot quality, he didn't mince words about the Lakers getting stagnant to open the third with their starters.
"I was highly encouraged with the shots we got," Redick told reporters after the 111-97 loss. "It was when we didn't trust our offense and got a little stagnant, ball stuck and that was the beginning of that third quarter."
JJ Redick recalled Anthony Davis producing eight points on four consecutive possessions on isolation plays. He called those himself, but the Lakers rookie coach asserted that LA's offense just wasn't good enough.
Redick said he understood the players' tendency after the shots didn't go but hinted the Lakers must avoid breaking the structure.
"It's not how we wanna play and that's okay," JJ Redick said. "It happens, we'll get better."
Anthony Davis was the only player in rhythm for the Lakers after scoring 24 points on 10 of 14 shots. LeBron James shot 3 of 9 and had a fairly subpar outing on both ends. D'Angelo Russell shot 2 of 10 and was scoreless in the first half.
Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves shot a combined 8 of 22 but got to the line to score 15 and 13 points, respectively. Reaves didn't play in the third quarter as the Lakers managed his minutes since he was returning from an ankle injury.
LeBron James pivoted from JJ Redick's offensive schemes in third quarter
LeBron James was partly to be blamed for not setting the tone in the third quarter. He called his number on three possessions early and missed the three field-goal attempts. The first shot out of halftime attempt was a stepback attempt from the four-time MVP over Draymond Green, which he failed to make.
James went to the post on the second consecutive play and missed a fadeaway jumper. Both times, there was no off-ball movement. His third miss came off a floater that he generated out of a pick-and-roll with Anthony Davis. The Lakers continued playing that way for seven straight minutes.
Davis, who was the team's best player on the night, went nearly five minutes without getting a shot off as D'Angelo Russell, LeBron James, Max Christie and Rui Hachimura all played off of his gravity to force ill-advised shots amid a rough shooting night to get their rhythm.
The poor shot profile saw the JJ Redick's Lakers trail by a larger margin entering the fourth quarter as they lost the third 25-19, handing the Dubs a 16-point lead.