‘Learn how to coach’ – JJ Redick rips Lakers but fans want rookie leader to help Luka Doncic after humbling loss without LeBron
LeBron James once again reminded the Los Angeles Lakers how important he is to their team.
On a night when an ailing James recovered from a groin injury, Los Angeles blew a 15-point lead in a loss to a Brooklyn Nets team that is 20 games below a .500 record.
Lakers coach JJ Redick unloaded on his James-less team after a 111-108 road defeat that knocked Los Angeles into a tie with the Memphis Grizzlies for third place in the Western Conference.
Redick called out his players' effort and was adamant that James' absence wasn't an excuse.
The Lakers insulted the game of basketball on Monday, Redick said, and they only had themselves to blame.
"It was just an overall mentality just to take shortcuts tonight," Redick said.
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"Want to be a good team? You want to win in the NBA? You got to do the hard stuff.
"We couldn't even pass to each other. We couldn't enter our offense, running ball screens literally at half court. ... I don't know what we're doing."
Doncic had a triple-double of 22 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.
But he only shot 8-of-26 from the field, while the Lakers (40-23) committed 15 turnovers and allowed Brooklyn (22-42) to shoot 40 percent from the 3-point line.
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"That's my fault and we should have done better," said Doncic, referring to Redick's comments about a lack of on-court communication.
A frustrated Redick gripped a microphone and ripped into his team, which has lost two consecutive games after winning eight straight.
"It was a very low-level communication game for our team," Redick said.
"I don't think being short-handed is an excuse for how we played basketball tonight."
Fans blamed the Lakers -- and their rookie head coach.
"Learn how to coach Luka out of a double team, brother," one fan tweeted.
"They have to make adjustments if Luka has the ball all the time," a second fan posted. "He will always be double teamed and they have to do something about it."
"JJ and Luka's relationship is gonna be put to the test real quick the next couple weeks," a third fan said.
James is expected to miss 1-2 weeks while recovering from a groin injury, but his exact return date is uncertain.
Every game counts for the Lakers, who were bounced out of the first round of the playoffs last season and have limited time to make a new blockbuster partnership between James and Doncic work this season.
Austin Reaves also blamed himself for the humbling road defeat without The King.
"I just thought I played incredibly bad," Reaves said.
"It's frustrating not helping your team win. When Bron's out, I got to be better and I wasn't. That's one of the reasons we lost."
It won't get any easier for Los Angeles as James heals - the Nets matchup was the easiest of a daunting looking gauntlet on the road that began with the Celtics defeat at the weekend.
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Milwaukee, Denver and Phoenix await on the schedule, with two games apiece against the Nuggets and Bucks.
"An underrated part of Lebron's game -- can't replace his communication on the floor," a fan said. "He's basically a second coach when he's out there."