A lot went wrong for the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs. A first-round exit was a slap in the face of the franchise. With a generational star such as Luka Doncic, fans felt the front office didn’t assemble a compatible unit. But is that the only reason they lost? Robert Horry, a Lakers legend thinks there’ more than just players to blame.
In particular, he spoke about JJ Redick. The first-time head coach had a brilliant start to his coaching career. But certain decisions did seem to bruise the Lakers. His playing the starting role for an entire second half is just an example. That was also a cry for help, with Redick lacking size in his rotations. Big Shot Rob, though, thinks Redick needs to start to listen.
That’s where he thinks the Lakers’ assistant coaches came short. “I think a lot of times we look at the head coach and we blame him for some things and we blame the players for things, but I blame always blame the assistant coaches because assistant coaches need to have the coach’s ear and they they see things that the head coach don’t see sometimes and like, yo, this ain’t working,” he told Dan Patrick.
While he did take the helm, JJ Redick didn’t do so without adequate support. With former head coaches such as Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks by his side, the Purple and Gold do have a lot of intelligence in their corner.
It played an instrumental role in Redick being able to elevate the Lakers to the 3rd seed. But the Lakers couldn’t do the same things against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The problem, though, was that there was no Plan B. That could be due to a thin range of rotation players whom the coaches could trust.
Mar 24, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick looks on against the Orlando Magic in the second quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
However, some insight from coaches who have been in JJ Redick’s position before could have helped diffuse some of the troubles. But in doing so, Robert Horry also thinks Redick needs to keep an open mind.
“Is JJ willing to, you know, listen to his staff and trust his staff? Because sometimes when you come in as a new coach, you say, “Oh, I got to do it my way. I gotta do it this way because I’m the head coach. I need to do this. And I think sometimes it takes a village, you know, instead of, you know, a guy saying, “Oh, I need to do this way because my head is on the line,” he revealed on the Dan Patrick Show.
It’s something the Lake Show is going to have to address next season. And that’s just one of the things on their agenda.
How to fix Luka Doncic?
Aside from JJ Redick’s decision-making, the major headlines circled around Luka Doncic. The Slovenian was called out for being unfit, resulting in his disastrous defensive performance in the postseason. But while the criticism is loud, Robert Horry doesn’t think weight is the issue with Luka Magic.
“It’s so weird that people talk about his weight, but yet he’s still giving people 30 points. I tell people, I don’t care about his weight,” Horry pointed out.
Offensively, Doncic hasn’t been hindered by his weight. His involvement remains at peak. What Horry thinks needs to change is his mentality. He doesn’t think Doncic is a bad defender. The seven-time champion thinks he lacks the willingness to participate.
“Yes, you can. You know, because it’s about wanting to, you know, he’s never had to because he’s always had people behind him to erase his mistakes. You think about now, there was no AD, no center, nobody erases mistakes in LA. He’s getting blown by, you know, they getting layups,” he said about turning Doncic’s defensive game around.
Standing at 6’8”, Horry doesn’t see why Luka Doncic can’t be an effective stopper. His offensive movements have the seven-time champ convinced that his quickness isn’t an issue. Moreover, he attributes his body type as a difficulty for offensive players. There’s just one reason he thinks it isn’t being put to use.
“There’s no reason you cannot play better defense on the other it’s just you just got to want to, and I think a lot of times he doesn’t want to. He would rather point,” says Horry.
Well, Luka Doncic looks to put the noise down once and for all. With an entire offseason to chase his determinations, he has already undergone a tremendous physical transformation. But will playing defense seem attractive to him? It’s tough to predict these things. However, in order to win with the Lakers, JJ Redick is going to place that demand on the dazzling point guard.
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