Lakers head coach JJ Redick provided an in-depth update on the team ahead of Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center. On Rui Hachimura’s status, Redick said: “He was able to do everything in practice today. He’s leaning toward being able to play. … He’ll probably come off the bench since he’ll have him limited.”
Redick outlined the impact of Hachimura’s absence: “Shooting. A lot of shooting. I mean, he’s our — he’s our best catch-and-shoot guy. One of the best guys in the league.” He also discussed how Jake has filled in for LaRavia, noting, “Jake has played pretty well with that starting lineup. … I haven’t made any decisions.”
The Lakers’ guard rotation was also a topic, with Redick asking about Dennis Schroder’s suspension: “It’s a league thing. To be honest, I don’t really have any comment on it. They made their decision.”
Redick reflected on his own growth in dealing with the pressure on the field, saying, “Well, I’ve talked about this a lot. My first year at Duke was very difficult emotionally and mentally… I did three years of therapy at Duke and grew from it.”
Luka Doncic’s recent struggles were also discussed: “He’s not going to be perfect. … If you do what you’re supposed to do, and you know, for me it’s coaching, for Luka it’s scoring and facilitating and playmaking … there will be more positive than negative and he will help his team win.” Redick added: “Our players certainly have them all individually… Luka, when he has been in the lineup, has had a lion’s share of the contribution to the win.”
Redick spoke this month about the team’s demanding schedule, explaining, “Yes. Every damn week I’m over. … There’s a catch-22, because every time the schedule comes out and you look at it, you say, ‘Oh, this little stretch is going to be fun,’ but the catch is you’re going to make up for it with a brutal stretch.”
On practice adjustments, he said, “We made the decision 12, 13 days ago that we were not going to do any morning shootarounds anymore. … The other part was just reading personnel. What do we actually get out of shootaround based on who’s on our team?”
Redick shared a personal connection to LeBron James’ first career game in Sacramento: “I watched it… I think, if I remember correctly, they ran Floppy for him… I don’t think he’s run Floppy for 15 years, but his first bucket was on Floppy, which is crazy.
Looking ahead to Monday’s game at the Golden 1 Center, Redick acknowledged the challenge of balancing player health and performance: “We’ll find out if Rui is available… he’ll probably come off the bench given his disability. We’ll continue to try to find that balance” between attack and defense.
The Lakers are currently fifth in the Western Conference with a 23-13 record, while the Kings are 14th in the West at 9-30.
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