JJ Redick taking blame for loss vs. Suns is a welcome change

Monday’s loss shows that JJ Redick cares, perhaps too much, but that’s a good thing for the Lakers and a big difference from last season.

All losses demonstrate a growth opportunity. A reminder that the opposition can get the better of you if you fall short in critical areas.

After starting the year on a three-game winning streak, the Lakers suffered their first defeat of the season against the Phoenix Suns on the road 109-105 on Monday.

For Los Angeles, it was clear where they failed. They opened up the game with an 18-point lead in the first quarter and followed it up with an abysmal 14 points in the second period.

The late-game defense was just a Kevin Durant offensive showcase, with him mercilessly destroying all Lakers guards who were switched onto him.

The Lakers stayed in the contest until the closing seconds, but it wasn’t enough.

In a rare moment from Redick, he kept his defensive strategy the same even though KD was lethal and unbothered. With the margin of defeat being just four points, one can’t help but wonder what could’ve been if they had just executed a bit better.

After his first official defeat as a coach, JJ Redick wore the frustration and disappointment on his face like a mask and took responsibility for the result.

“If there’s one thing to nitpick, it’s probably me,” Redick said. “I probably should have gone to the [blitz defense] a possession or two earlier against KD. But I liked that group that we had out there defensively. I trust those guys. And then the other thing I would say is we should never have a 14-point quarter. So, that’s on me as well. Part of that is on me.

“I have to make sure we’re running good offense. Felt like it was a little random, we got stalled out, we talked about it at halftime. For us to be a high-level offense, we have to move bodies and we’ve got to move the ball. They just kind of took us out of what we were doing initially. We were great in the second half. We executed great in the second half. Just that second quarter really hurt us.”

This kind of response after a loss, especially after the first one, was unexpected. It’s not uncommon for coaches to directly take the blame for a loss, but for the last two seasons under Darvin Ham, it happened...well, never.

The areas to improve or where things went wrong for the Lakers was always spoken in generalities. Ham would never identify an error in his decision-making or even hint at a loss being on him, much less take accountability as Redick did on Monday night.

During the middle of the 2023-24 season after a loss against the Memphis Grizzlies that was part of a four-game losing streak, Ham told fans not to care as much about these results and reminded us for the umpteenth time that it’s a marathon.

Ham said this during the Lakers' worst stretch of results last season when they went 3-10 after winning the In-Season Tournament.

I can’t think of a better example of a lack of desire for accountability than telling those who want more from you to simply not care.

Actually, there is another one that comes to mind from last season.

After a Game 2 defeat to the Denver Nuggets, Anthony Davis said the Lakers sometimes didn’t know what they were doing—an alarming statement to make during a playoff series against the defending champs.

At the following practice, when asked about the comment, Darvin Ham actually pushed back, saying he “agreed to disagree.”

A coach has plenty of jobs, but at the core, you are instructing players, who are supposed to execute on that guidance.

If the best player on the team says players don’t know what they are supposed to be doing, then you’ve failed them and the goal has to be getting them on board with your plan and not pushing back on that assessment.

This is among the many reasons a change was needed in Los Angeles. You need someone who holds a high standard, not just for the team but for themselves. By all accounts, Redick is that guy. He is obsessed with winning and the game's details and wants everyone around him to share that passion.

This was just one loss against a generally good team, but it bothers him and when he looks at what went wrong, he looks from within.

After the game, Davis acknowledged that Redick was doing what all good coaches do: taking accountability. However, like Redick, he also looked within and considered what the players could do better.

“I think it’s on all of us, not just him,” Davis said postgame. “Obviously, he’s the coach and he’s going to try to take the blame. But we scored 14 points, the players. There’s things that we could have done better as a group, coaching staff and players. But we didn’t.

We’ll learn from it. We’ll watch film on it, how we can not have another 14-point quarter this season and learn from our mistakes. He’s pretty p------. I mean, we’re all p---- just because of how well we’re playing and no one likes to lose. I think everyone in here is a competitor where any loss you kind of take pretty heavy. We’ll watch film tomorrow and get ready for a team that’s been kicking a–.”

With everyone on the same page and pushing for their best selves, it’s a recipe for success and a welcome change to the previous regime.

There will be no marginalization of these defeats, no scoffing at matters that matter, and no cliche phrases like “we just have to get healthy.” No, it all matters. You are either committed and giving your best effort or not.

The win-loss record and how far this team will go are unknown, but one thing we know for sure is that they will be giving their all and putting their best effort forward nightly.

And, in the end, that’s all fans are asking for.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.