The Los Angeles Lakers were unable to mount any serious defense against the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first round series, managing only to secure a gentleman's sweep. Rookie coach JJ Redick's bold strategy to not use his bench at all in a crucial Game 4 loss has opened him up for all sorts of criticism and the move backfired. Yet anyone who can remember all the way back to Game 1 of this series might recall that it was immediately clear the Lakers were in big trouble against a younger, healthier and hungrier side that made the Western Conference finals last year. So it wouldn't really be fair to put all the blame on Redick's shoulders.
But Kendrick Perkins, Redick's former ESPN colleague, drove pretty hard to the hole pinning the early exit on coaching decisions while appearing on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt.
"Hey, I'm JJ Redick, I know basketball more than anybody in the world," Perkins said. "I'm going to stick with this small-ball lineup no matter how big the Minnesota Timberwolves are I'm going to do it my way because I only care about offense."
"I’m JJ Redick, I know basketball more than anybody in the world...I never want to do this and blame this series on one individual, but I have to blame this series on JJ Redick." - Kendrick Perkins pic.twitter.com/26RWCXGtIN
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 1, 2025
So that's not a great start as Redick, in is capacity as head coach of the Lakers, has a vested personal and professional interest in both the offense and defense of the team. And then there's the very real problem L.A. had of not having a true rim protector since shipping Anthony Davis to Dallas and having second thoughts about Mark Williams.
"I never want to do this and blame this series on one individual, but I have to blame this series on JJ Redick," Perkins added.
There's an entirely fair notion that Redick pushed the wrong buttons and did not make the appropriate adjustments. But it's also worth considering that no amount of brilliant coaching would have made a difference in the ultimate outcome of the season. The fact that LeBron James, at times, was playing the 5 should signal that desperate times dictated desperate measures.
Redick, with Luka Doncic in tow, should have plenty of opportunities to answer whatever playoff questions people have about him in the coming years.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kendrick Perkins Tore Into JJ Redick After the Lakers Got Bounced From NBA Playoffs.
