Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach JJ Redick has come under fire for his second-half strategy in his team’s game four loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers’ 113-116 loss put them down 3-1 in the first-round playoff series, giving them a mountain to climb should they hope to progress to round two. Redick’s in-game decision-making may have been the decisive factor in their latest loss.
The first-year head coach was a controversial offseason hire. He was Lakers star Lebron James’ podcast partner on the Mind the Game podcast last season, and despite playing in the NBA for 15 years, entered his new role with no head coaching experience beyond the high school level. This caused his credentials as an NBA coach to come under scrutiny.
Redick appeared to have proven doubters wrong this season, leading the Lakers to third in the Western Conference with a 46-26 record. But his coaching inexperience looks to have bitten him in only his fourth playoff game.
JJ Redick fails to make a second-half substitution
Redick elected not to make a single substitution in the second half of the game against the Timberwolves. The Lakers’ lineup featured Luka Doncic recovering from a stomach bug that plagued him in game three, and a 40-year-old James, who were asked to play all of the final 24 minutes of the game.
James suffered a groin strain in March and was, therefore, cautious about his workload at the back end of the season. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer looked gassed in the closing stages of the game.
The Lakers were outscored 32-19 in the fourth quarter against the comparatively fresh-legged Timberwolves, falling victim to a Minnesota onslaught in the final minutes.
Even Lakers legend Magic Johnson questioned Redick’s game plan, claiming that James did not have enough left in the tank to make the necessary plays late in the game due to his extended minutes.
Now, the Lakers are facing a 3-1 deficit in the series, something only 13 teams in NBA history have overcome.
Redick was asked about his second-half strategy in his post-game press conference, where he admitted it was a spur-of-the-moment decision mid-game.
“No, it wasn’t planned,” Redick said. “We just made the decision at halftime.”
“It’s not a planned thing to play five guys an entire second half. We asked them at the beginning of the fourth quarter, we told them we had two extra timeouts, if you need a sub, let us know. Those guys gave a lot.”
| Lakers player | Minutes vs Timberwolves | Average minutes this season |
| Lebron James | 46 | 34 |
| Luka Doncic | 45 | 35 |
| Rui Hachimura | 41 | 31 |
| Dorian Finney-Smith | 40 | 28 |
| Austin Reaves | 35 | 34 |
The Lakers’ head coach showed little trust in his second unit. Bench players such as Jaxon Hayes have been scrutinised for their performances in the series so far. Redick said he believes in Hayes after game three, despite the big man’s continual defensive struggles in the series, but this seems to prove otherwise.
Redick was asked if he regretted the decision to keep his starting unit on the court for the whole second half, but the 40-year-old dismissed the question.
“Once you kind of made that decision and they’re all in, you just have to trust them,” Redick said.
JJ Redick blasts ‘blatant’ refereeing mistake made against Luka Doncic
Redick, frustrated in his post-game press conference, pointed the finger at the officials for a no-call made with seconds on the clock against his star guard, Doncic.
The incident occurred with 36 seconds remaining in the game, with the Lakers down 113-114 and Doncic taking the ball up the court.
The Slovenian appeared to stand on the foot of Timberwolves wing Jaden McDaniels, causing him to fall and call a Lakers timeout rather than be sent to the foul line by the referees with a chance to put the Lakers up one.
Redick explained why he believed the officials made a game-changing error on the play.
“Luka got tripped,” claimed Redick. “I mean, that was a blatant trip.”
“He doesn’t just fall on his own. We watched it- he gets tripped, so we should have been at the free-throw line. That’s not an excuse for why we lost, but he got fouled.”
Doncic’s trade from the Dallas Mavericks in February was among the biggest stories in the history of the NBA. The five-time NBA All-Star led his Mavericks to the Finals last season and has the second-highest Playoff scoring average in NBA history behind Michael Jordan at 30.9 points per game.
Doncic is one of the NBA’s biggest stars but has been criticised for his persistent complaints to officials and occasional foul-baiting tactics. On November 29, 2023, he was assessed a $2,000 postgame fine for a flopping violation during a game against the Houston Rockets.
Therefore, his rapport with officials has seen him receive one of the stingiest whistles for an NBA star, and his reputation among referees may have once again worked against him here.
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