The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a humbling 119-96 defeat to the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day as head coach JJ Redick openly criticized his team’s effort, hinting at frustration that could lead to a potential resignation.
This marked the second consecutive blowout prompting Redick‘s ire. After a 132-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns earlier, he decried the team’s unwillingness to make “tough choices” and escape the trap of comfort.
During the Rockets game, LA trailed 20-10 mid-first quarter and entered the second quarter down 37-25, meaning they had to chase 12 points against a team with a two-time NBA champion in Kevin Durant.
Despite rally attempts, Houston expanded its lead to 78-58 by mid-third, frustrating fans as boos echoed through Crypto.com Arena and Redick, addressing the team after the loss, warned of a difficult practice ahead.
“I told the guys, Saturday’s practice is gonna be uncomfortable,” Redick said. “The meeting is gonna be uncomfortable. I’m not doing another 53 games like this.
“We don’t care enough right now. That’s the part that bothered me a lot. We don’t care enough to do the things that are necessary.
“We don’t care enough to be a professional.”
Fans demand LeBron James retirement as Lakers struggle
After starting December 15-4, the Lakers are 4-6 this month, dropping three straight games for the first long slump of the season and they will look to break that spell when they welcome the Sacramento Kings to the Staples Center.
And breaking that spell could include grilling LeBron James, who has been singled out as a suggested defensive liability. Last season, Anthony Davis and Dorian Finney-Smith masked his lapses. This year, the Lakers‘ perimeter defense is weaker, leaving the 40-year-old exposed as a help defender.
He leads the team in poor metrics as opponents score 121.9 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, whilst his net rating among starters is worst, as the Lakers are outscored by 6.8 points per 100 possessions when he plays.
Transition defense is also a problem, with 12.8 fast-break points per game allowed and high points off turnovers and second-chance points.
On Christmas, he posted a team-worst -33 plus/minus, conceding key points to Amen Thompson and fans are increasingly vocal about James‘ performance.
One user wrote online, “Bron is the Lakers downfall. Just retire so they can build a quality roster.”
And a second said, “Like clockwork Lebron has the worst plus minus out of all the starters, just out there being a defensive liability with no impact on the game.”
LeBron becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, with his future in LA uncertain as the team prepares to move on from the ageing four-time NBA champion in the coming campaigns to build around Luka Doncic.
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