Just a few days ago lakers Head coach JJ Redick said: Praise for starting point guard D'Angelo Russell Russell has been one of the team's “vocal leaders,” but on Wednesday night, Russell was just giving Redick a shout-out.
Redick benched Russell for much of the second half. The Lakers lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 131-114. After the game, he completely threw Russell under the bus, blaming his competitiveness and lack of attention to detail.
“The level of play, the attention to detail, some of the things we've been talking about with him for weeks,” Reddick said when asked after the game. Why did he bench Russell?. “And sometimes he was very good at it, and other times he just fell back into certain habits.”
But while Redick said being benched was “not a punishment,” his reaction before that (captured on the broadcast) certainly made it clear he wasn't happy with Russell's habits. It was. House of Highlights uncovers the moment on the broadcast right before Russell sits down for good, as Reddick sits on a meager chair and goes full nuke in response to a guard attempt at the end of the game. I showed you the situation.
Redick is already quite possibly the most expressive Lakers coach on the sideline I've seen in over a decade of covering the team, which is pretty impressive even by his investment standards. It's the forehead.
It's also clear that that wasn't the only mistake that upset Redick. It was the straw that broke the camel's back, but Russell's lack of effort was on full display on some possessions, as captured by his friend @pickphoop on Twitter. If you want to see Russell take a few lazy shots with little attention to the defense before lashing out at his coach, taking a timeout and putting him on the bench, watch the clip below.
Russell wasn't known for being meticulous with his defense or shot selection, so if Redick is this frustrated with that habit after just eight games, it's going to be a long season for both of them. ..or perhaps it will be. It's finally time for the Lakers Nearly two year quest to trade Russell completes.
