In the Los Angeles Lakers‘ latest game against the Philadelphia 76ers, JJ Redick made a surprising decision by moving D’Angelo Russell to the bench for the first time this NBA regular season, opting to start Cam Reddish instead. Redick later broke down his reasoning for the lineup shift.
After a disappointing five-game road trip, Redick felt it was time to shake things up. “Listen, I was a player,” Redick said after the Lakers‘ win via Lakers Nation. “DLo and I talked about this. I’m not somebody who’s just gonna overreact and have 19 (different starting lineups). Well, hopefully not. Hopefully, we’re healthy.”
Redick acknowledged that making the decision wasn’t easy, especially given the need to approach these changes with empathy. “It required a lot of thought, and to be honest with you, it also required removing emotion from it because there is a balance as a coach in trying to do what you believe is best for the group but also being empathetic and sensitive to each player. You want to maximize and empower them, not mess with their confidence or self-image,” Redick added.
“There’s a really hard balance that I had to work through,” he continued. “I came in this morning with the staff, and we talked about it—it was part of our discussion in our coach’s meeting. We all felt like it was the right thing to do for right now. And both of those guys were great tonight.”
Head coach JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Crypto.com Arena. Harry How/Getty Images
JJ Redick offers high praise for Russell and Reddish
Redick commended both Russell and Reddish for stepping into their roles and executing well on the court. “I felt both those guys starred in the roles they had tonight,” Redick said. “Cam took one shot in 27 minutes but had a huge impact on the game. Defensively, Paul George never got going at any point. In the first half, we had three smash screen assists from set plays, and I think Cam had two of them. That’s sacrifice, and it’s unselfishness.”
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“For DLo, I think he starred in that role as well,” he continued. “Big-time energy boost off the bench and a really efficient night for him. He just played really good basketball, but across the board, it was a team win for our group.”
LeBron James weighs in on the situation
After the Lakers’ victory, LeBron James explained that the mindset of both Russell and Reddish made the new rotation effective. “What allowed it to work was the sacrifices that DLo and Cam have continued to make, and obviously the biggest sacrifice is DLo going to the bench,” James said.
“It’s no secret that our bench has been struggling to find ways to score, and the best way to change that is to put a scorer on the bench,” James continued. “DLo came in and gave us a big-time push off the bench, and Cam did a good job of trying to make it tough on PG all night, so it was a complement that worked on both sides, offensively and defensively for our ball club.”
