Lakers coach JJ Redick makes something clear about Victor Wembanyama following Spurs defeat

On Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered their third consecutive loss in the 2024-25 NBA season, falling 126-102 to the San Antonio Spurs at Crypto.com Arena. Victor Wembanyama emerged as one of the game’s standout performers, once again demonstrating why he’s one of the most electrifying talents in the league. Following the defeat, Lakers head coach JJ Redick reflected on the unique challenges posed by the French center.

“So, Wemby being on the court, you have to kind of decide how you want to play coverage,” Redick explained during the post-game press conference. “If he’s away from the basket and you’re in coverage, let’s say in theory the five would be away from the rim. If you ‘Red’ and he rolls, the five is away from the rim.”

The Lakers coach emphasized the difficulties his team faced in counteracting Wembanyama’s offensive versatility. The 7’4″ star finished the game as one of San Antonio’s top scorers, contributing 23 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in a dominant all-around performance.

“I didn’t feel like we had a low man presence. I think Mitch (Johnson) and his staff did a good job,” Redick admitted, acknowledging the effectiveness of the Spurs’ strategy. “They really tried to take advantage of that, pulling our low man and when we did pull in, if Wemby was in the paint, they just skip it to the corner. And then you’re either giving up a three or…we just weren’t good in our closeouts tonight.”

Head coach JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Golden State Warriors during the first half at Chase Center.

Spurs’ balanced attack

While Wembanyama was a focal point, Redick was quick to highlight the contributions of other Spurs players. “Vassell and Castle in particular,” the coach pointed out, “I don’t know what they ended up with, but those two guys just killed us.”

Devin Vassell and Stephon Castle both matched Wembanyama’s scoring output with 23 points each, further bolstering the Spurs’ dominant performance. Veterans Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes also played pivotal roles, with Paul tallying a double-double (13 points and 10 assists) and Barnes adding 17 points.

Offensive struggles plague Lakers

Beyond their defensive challenges, the Lakers’ offensive inconsistencies were a major concern for Redick. “The point of attack was not good tonight and I’ll have to look at the film,” said the head coach, who was especially unhappy with the 62 points they finished with at the end of the second quarter. “Frankly, we should have had 70 in the first half offensively and just couldn’t keep the ball in front of us.”

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Kevin Garnett delivers a strong message to the NBA about San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama

Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 30 points, but his efforts weren’t enough to keep the game competitive. LeBron James added 18 points, while the bench failed to provide significant contributions. The Lakers’ performance in the final quarter further underscored their struggles, as they were unable to mount any sort of comeback.