JJ Redick on handling Lakers' pressure: “When I took this job, I was already dead”
The Los Angeles Lakers head coach spoke about the pressure and criticism he’s received for the inconsistent season they’re having.
The Los Angeles Lakers have had an inconsistent season in JJ Redick’s first year as head coach. The Purple and Gold sit in fifth place in the Western Conference with a 20-15 record, but the road has been filled with ups and downs. However, Redick has remained optimistic throughout the campaign, and the players are getting behind him.
The Lakers coach spoke about his first few months in charge of the team, responding to criticism he has received for the roller coaster of results in his first 35 games. The Lakers have proven to be competitive to a certain extent, but have struggled against the best teams in each conference, something he hopes to change heading into the playoffs.
JJ Redick’s self-criticism
“There’s a scene in ‘Band of Brothers’ where they’re in the trenches and one of the soldiers, who’s really scared, asks another one, ‘How can you go out and fight and not look scared? ’ And he says, ‘It’s because I’m already dead. ’ So when I took this job, I was already dead. I’m completely aware of what this profession is like, but it’s not even on my radar. I’m already dead,” Redick began by saying.
He added, “I’m going to reiterate something I think I said in this very room before the Philadelphia game after that trip where we lost four of five and were 4-4. I signed up for the hard stuff, not the easy stuff. I enjoy solving problems. I really enjoy coaching.
“So it’s not one thing leading to another, it’s part of the process and the journey of trying to become a good basketball team and hopefully a great basketball team,” JJ Redick concluded.
The Los Angeles Lakers will be back in action on Tuesday to face the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. A game they cannot afford to lose if they want to stay in the top part of the Western Conference. The Mavericks have the same record as the Lakers 20-15 and are just place below them in the standings in sixth.