Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick is coming off a recent loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs. The series only lasted five games, so the Lakers were only able to pull off one win against Minnesota. This early departure from the playoffs is surprising considering that the Lakers were the number three seed and the Timberwolves were the number six seed. JJ Redick is receiving a lot of the blame for this short-lived playoff run.
To be straightforward, the Lakers simply were the worse team in this series. While the Lakers did have superstars Luka Doncic and LeBron James to lean on, they were significantly shorthanded besides that. For one, they did not have a valuable true center available to play, which immediately put them at a disadvantage.
Looking at the Lakers roster, they essentially only had Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and two power forwards, (Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith) with one trying to fill in as a center. The Lakers also had shooting guard Austin Reaves, but he did not play well in this series. Also, both of these power forwards are undersized for the position; they are both smaller than their small forward, LeBron James (who is above average height for small forwards, nonetheless). This was a recipe for a disaster.
These roster limitations are a large reason that the Lakers were beaten by the Timberwolves. NBA reporters are questioning JJ Redick’s decision making throughout the series, saying that he coached immaturely at times. To say this is simply incorrect. Redick did not have valuable players to pull from, so he was forced to make decisions that may be questionable on the surface.
For instance, JJ Redick is being criticized for his decision to play his starting five the entire second half of Game Four, in which the Lakers went on to lose 116 to 113. This was the first time in NBA playoff history that a starting five has been put up to that task. While this may seem like an illogical decision, it makes sense when analyzed further.
The Lakers lack depth on their roster. When you are in a desperate situation like being down two games to one in an away playoff game, you are forced to rely on what you know is of the most value. Respectfully, most of the bench players on the Lakers are simply not that valuable. Many reporters are suggesting that JJ Redick should have substituted in center Jaxson Hayes at least for a few minutes in the second half.
To put it simply, though, Hayes was not producing enough for Redick to put him in. In the first three games of the series, Hayes was averaging 1.7 ppg in just under nine minutes per game; he also only had one block that entire time. With no disrespect to Hayes, a fatigued Dorian Finney-Smith (who was playing the center position) is probably of more value than him.
Another reason to not blame Redick is because of the stellar performance in the series by Julius Randle. The Lakers had no one who could effectively guard him. They tried to put both LeBron James and Dorian Finney-Smith on him, but he was too much for them. Randle is 6’9″ and 250 lbs, the same stature as James, and significantly bigger than Finney-Smith, who is 6’7″ and 220 lbs. He is also only 30 years of age, so he is stronger and sprier than the 40-year-old James. Randle averaged 22.6 ppg in the series, a significant improvement from the 18.7 ppg that he averaged in the regular season.
After Game Five of the series, JJ Redick was once again criticized for his decision-making. With 5:36 left in the fourth quarter, he put in power forward Maxi Kleber. Kleber suffered a right foot fracture earlier this season on January 25th. He underwent surgery and this was his first game since then. Many NBA analysts are saying that Redick should have put in Jaxson Hayes, but as mentioned earlier, Hayes had not been performing well in the first three games of the series.
Also, Maxi Kleber and Jaxson Hayes are roughly the same quality of player. Although Kleber gives up some size at 6’10” compared to the 7’0″ Hayes, he has more chemistry with Doncic because they played together with the Dallas Mavericks for seven years. Also, Kleber has plenty of playoff experience (and historically does better in the playoffs than in the regular season). Once again, the Lakers likely would not have been in this unfortunate situation in the first place if they had a true starting center.
It is possible that all of this criticism that JJ Redick is facing never would have occurred if the Lakers had signed Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams. Back in February, the Lakers and Hornets were negotiating a trade that would have seen the Hornets center being traded to the Lakers in exchange for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round draft pick, and a 2030 pick swap. The Lakers, however, failed Williams’ physical exam, so the trade was never completed.
Williams, who averaged 15.3 ppg, 10.2 rpg, and 2.5 apg in the 2025 season, would have been a huge pickup for the Lakers. His size would have alleviated the Lakers of their inability to guard the center position and he also would have been a lob threat that Doncic could have utilized.
Looking ahead for the Lakers, they need to make some changes. They need to find a true center and they also need to get more quality bench players so that the starting five does not have to be overplayed. With the determined mindsets of JJ Redick and Rob Pelinka, the President of Basketball Operations and General Manager for the Lakers, Los Angeles will undoubtedly find a way to fix their issues.
The Lakers may have not had the ending to the 2025 season that they were hoping for, but JJ Redick is not to blame for that. If the Lakers can add a true big man to their roster, as well as some quality bench players, then they will be a dangerous team. Look for JJ Redick and the Lakers to use this failure as motivation to come back much stronger next season.
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