Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick had a blunt assessment of what the team needs to deliver every night to keep winning after their first loss of the 2026-27 NBA season.
The Lakers fell to a 136-129 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers at home on October 27, dropping their record to 3-1 while the Blazers improved to an undefeated 3-0 on the season.
The loss was marked by the Lakers being a complete mess defensively, a takeaway that head coach JJ Redick shared after the loss.
JJ Redick admits the Lakers’ defence is responsible for loss to Blazers
Redick spoke to the media after the game, admitting that the Lakers need to be strong enough defensively to win home games when their offence is producing 129 points on their own.
“But we got good looks, and I think we have to be able to rely on our defence every night. If we score 129 points at home, we should be able to get enough stops to win.”
“And credit to Portland, for sure. I said it before the game; it was going to be a great test for us because they’re a really good basketball team. They showed that tonight.”
Despite the Blazers proving this season that they might be a dangerous team, the Lakers cannot be pleased with an outcome where their offensive stars delivered, but the defence completely collapsed.
Shooting variance also has to be factored in, as the Blazers shot 18-for-36 from three for a 50% clip that is not sustainable over an 82-game season.
Coach Redick also needs to look at the rotations he is using, as he could not find a great balance between the personnel who need to be key in games. Matisse Thybulle ended the game as a -12, while bench big Sandro Mamukelashvili was a +6.
One loss does not define a season, but the Lakers already know what their biggest weakness is and have 78 more games to address that as the season goes on.
Read more:
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
