![\"JJ](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2245208851-e1766759606642.jpg\")
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Lakers head coach JJ Redick courtside during a recent game against the Atlanta Hawks<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>\u2018 humiliating Christmas Day loss to the Houston Rockets triggered one of the most candid and forceful postgame assessments from head coach JJ Redick since he took over, exposing deep frustration with effort, accountability, and professionalism.<\/p>\n Following a lopsided 119-96 defeat that dropped the Lakers to 19-10 on the season with six losses in their last 10 games, Redick did not hold back, directly questioning his team\u2019s focus and intensity.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a terrible basketball team and tonight we were a terrible basketball team, and that started legitimately right away,\u201d he said<\/a>. \u201cWe don\u2019t care enough to do the things that are necessary. We don\u2019t care enough to be a professional. We don\u2019t have it right now.\u201d<\/p>\n The remarks reflected both anger and urgency, highlighting the need for the Lakers to address internal issues before they deepen further.<\/p>\n Lakers Struggle, Redick Calls Out Effort and Execution<\/p>\n The Christmas Day defeat marked the Lakers\u2019 third straight loss with clear ongoing flaws in their performances, particularly on the defensive end. Los Angeles now ranks fifth bottom league wide in defensive rating<\/a> at 118.1. Houston seized control early and never relented, exploiting defensive breakdowns and turnovers throughout the night.<\/p>\n Luka Doncic and LeBron James combined for a significant portion of the Lakers\u2019 16 turnovers, while Austin Reaves exited with a sore left calf and did not return, placing additional strain on the remaining rotation.<\/p>\n Redick emphasized that change would require difficult conversations within the locker room. \u201cIt\u2019s a matter of making the choice and too often we have guys that don\u2019t want to make that choice, and it\u2019s pretty consistent who those guys are,\u201d he said, before delivering a stark warning. \u201cThe meeting is gonna be uncomfortable. I\u2019m not doing another 53 games like this.\u201d<\/p>\n His blunt assessment served as a call for accountability and leadership, particularly from the team\u2019s core players. Redick made it clear that talent alone will not be enough to sustain success through prolonged stretches of poor execution. Effort, discipline, and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths will be critical if the Lakers hope to stabilize their performance ahead of the postseason.<\/p>\n Can the Lakers Respond and Become Competitive<\/p>\n The numbers from the loss painted a troubling picture. The Lakers were outrebounded 48-25, with Houston collecting 17 offensive rebounds to Los Angeles\u2019 seven. Both teams committed 16 turnovers, but the Rockets converted those mistakes into 23 points compared to just 11 for the Lakers. Ime Udoka\u2019s men also dominated the interior, scoring 68 points in the paint to the Lakers\u2019 52, with the lead swelling to as many as 24 points.<\/p>\n The heavy Christmas Day defeat, played on a national stage, magnified scrutiny on the roster. Redick\u2019s comments, paired with public acknowledgment from players such as Luka Doncic that \u201csomething needs to change,\u201d<\/a> along with Jake LaRavia admitting a \u201cdisconnect,\u201d<\/a> suggest a reckoning is underway behind the scenes.<\/p>\n The challenge now lies in turning criticism into action. Changes to rotations, defensive schemes, and practice intensity may follow, but lasting improvement will depend on collective buy in.<\/p>\n Redick\u2019s candor sends a clear message. Talent alone will not carry the Lakers to contention. Without sustained effort, accountability, and focus, the season risks slipping away.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMatt Evans<\/a> Matt Evans is a sports journalist from the United Kingdom, based in Paris, with over a decade of experience covering the NBA and wider global sport. More about Matt Evans<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lakers\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Lakers head coach JJ Redick courtside during a recent game against the Atlanta Hawks The Los Angeles…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373188,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-373187","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-basketball","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}