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Head coach JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Sacramento Kings during the second quarter at Crypto.com Arena on December 28, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick made headlines recently for calling out his team, saying that he believed they ‘don’t care enough‘ to put in the effort on a nightly basis to get wins.
His comments came after the Lakers lost on Christmas Day to the Houston Rockets, and since then, the second-year head coach of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Deandre Ayton, and company, has taken some heat.
Most recently, it was Lou Williams of Run It Back On FanDuel TV that called into question Redick’s critique of his team.
“I love the fight, JJ, love the intensity, but you have to read the room,” Williams, the former three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner, said. “You have to look at the group you have, and the personality of the group you have. You have two megastars on your team, and you have guys that are probably going to be susceptible to listening to them just as equally as they are going to listen to you.”
Though the Lakers won on Sunday against the Sacramento Kings, they had previously lost their last three games, and concerns about the team’s defensive efforts have been a growing issue.
Lou Williams Calls Out JJ Redick’s Lakers Comments
Williams cited Ayton’s reaction to Redick’s comments as a reason why calling out his own team likely wasn’t the best move. When asked by reporters about his thoughts on Redick saying it was going to be ‘an uncomfortable day for the team,’ Ayton responded with, ‘And y’all bought into that?’
“Ayton made a comment after that… like, ‘Y’all bought stock into him saying these things?’” Williams said. “At the end of the day, JJ said he’s not going to do another 53 games like this, but he also has to prepare for those 53 games.”
Redick has made it clear multiple times this season when he’s been upset with the effort given by his roster, but according to the veteran player in Williams, he shouldn’t go about it by giving threats or calling out his players in front of the media.
“If they want it, they’re going to go out and get it. The reality of it is, with pros, you can only talk us into so much. These guys got to want it….But when you start threatening them, you’re going to get some pushback, especially when it comes to practice,” Williams added. “I don’t love the messaging that’s coming out of L.A…Just the tone and context of some of these things that’s coming out from player to coach, it doesn’t look good.”
The Lakers currently rank 15th in net rating, seventh in offensive rating, and 25th in defensive rating. At the same time that they have some of the best offensive players in the league right now, those same players, in the form of James, Doncic, and Reaves, have not had that same impact on the other end of the court. Los Angeles has a 20-10 record, but as the season goes on, the issues across the roster are becoming more apparent.
LeBron James Lakers Concerns
At the same time that Redick called out his own team, there are growing concerns about James and his standing within the organization. While some could make arguments on both sides that he is still competing at a high level right before his 41st birthday, the numbers with him on the court for the Lakers are staggeringly lower than when he’s on the bench.
In the same episode of Run It Back, Williams’ co-host and former NBA player Chandler Parsons dropped his thoughts on James at this point in his career. James was a -33 when on the court on Christmas against the Rockets, both the worst in the game, and his worst of the season.
“Lakers are in a world of hurt if LeBron is the #1 or #2 option on this team,” Parsons said of James. “That’s not an insult, that’s a fact. I think you have to take LeBron for what he is right now.”
Parsons added that he doesn’t think James has been as big a concern compared to other NBA pundits and analysts. He believes that they are ‘in fine shape’, but doesn’t think he should be leading the offense on a team that features Doncic.
In the team’s latest win over the Kings, James did drop 24 points on 11/13 shooting, including an impressive reverse windmill dunk. However, overall, the star hasn’t had the same consistent performances seen at any earlier point in his time in the league.
Redick’s comments and ensuing response from players like Ayton caught the attention of the media, and while the statistical concerns are real, the Lakers are still in a solid position to grab home-court advantage in the playoffs, barring any of their issues continuing in 2026.
Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski
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