Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick expects a high level of excellence from his teammates and isn’t afraid to hold them accountable when they err.
One such incident occurred during Sunday’s 130-120 victory over the Miami Heat, as Redick stormed to the court and yelled at Jaxson Hayes, the Lakers center, for missing a defensive assignment. The incident took place with 9:35 left in the fourth quarter when Hayes was caught napping on defense, allowing Nikola Jovic to throw a lob to Heat center Kel’el Ware, who converted on an easy layup. As seen below, Rui Hachimura tried to contest Ware after Hayes missed his defensive rotation.
@bleacherreport Coach Redick called a timeout immediately after this Heat score. #nba #basketball #nbabasketball #lakers
A furious Redick immediately called a timeout before giving Hayes a dressing down. Hayes was also subbed out of the game after the break.
Redick dropped several F bombs while demanding his clipboard, per Playoff Sports.
JJ Redick, Jaxson Hayes Were Teammates
Hayes, who started the game in place of the injured Deandre Ayton (back spasms), finished with 15 points, five rebounds and one block, while logging a season-high 32 minutes for the Lakers. Despite the defensive lapse, Hayes did well to hold down the fort at center for the Lakers, a position in which they lack depth.
Redick probably took the liberty of yelling at Hayes, given their off-court relationship that dates back to their time as teammates on the New Orleans Pelicans. Redick previously revealed that he and Hayes developed a close friendship and remain friends even in their new dynamic as player-coach.
Over the summer, Redick even apologized to Hayes for benching him for long stretches of last season’s playoffs, something the latter recently revealed.
“He just told me ‘sorry’ and that’s what he wanted to do,” Hayes said of Redick’s message, via Silver Screen and Roll. “That was the lineup they all talked about, the coaches talked about.”
“Obviously, as a competitor, you want to be in there and you want to help your team win whenever you can,” Hayes said. “That was just a lot for me to swallow. At the end of the year, me and JJ had a bunch of talks and talked it through. So, we got through that, obviously.”
JJ Redick Praised For Coaching
Redick’s furious on-court reaction on Sunday drew widespread praise from Lakers fans and analysts alike. Many felt that the second-year coach displayed the sort of passion that was missing in his predecessors, Darvin Ham and Frank Vogel.
“JJ Redick has the best angry coach stomp in the NBA,” wrote CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn.
“WOW!!! I love this passion & anger from J.J Reddick, type of coaching we needed,” wrote X user BKS Sports. “I believe J.J can be franchise for the next 15+ years. He has the right to be angry, no communication when Hayes slides over to the post. Rui also should be on Ware’s body, terrible defense.”
“Finally we have a coach that actually cares about defensive mistakes,” wrote ITSDAFANTA.
The Lakers improved to 5-2 with their win over the Heat on Sunday. They will now try to build on a three-game winning streak against the Portland Trail Blazers (4-2) on Monday night. They could rest Luka Doncic on the second night of a back-to-back.
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