JJ Redick made the unusual decision during Game 4 of the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves to play his top lineup all 24 minutes of the second half.
Some observers noted star players LeBron James and Luka Doncic appeared fatigued as a result of their extended run. So in the pregame press conference ahead of Game 5 in L.A., a reporter asked Redick, a first-year head coach, if he might lean on his assistant coaches more this time around.
That set Redick off.
The former ESPN analyst and NBA podcaster turned the question around on the reporter before walking out on the presser.
“Are you saying that I’m because I’m inexperienced and that was an ‘inexperienced’ decision that I made?” Redick asked. “You think I don’t talk to my assistants about rotations every single timeout?”
The reporter responded: “No, I just think a lot of coaches lean on their assistants in those situations.”
Redick cut him off.
“As do I. Every single time. That’s a weird assumption.”
After hiring Redick at 40 with no prior coaching experience, the Lakers brought in several high-profile veteran coaches to fill out his staff. Top assistants Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks are both former multi-time head coaches.
Still, Redick is probably not wrong about what the reporter was insinuating.
It’s unlikely, for example, that Steve Kerr or Gregg Popovich would be asked how he planned to incorporate his staff’s input into key decisions — no matter the result of the previous game.
As for whether the question was out of bounds or deserved the abrupt end to the press conference, that’s up for JJ Redick and the reporter to hash out. Oh, and the other reporters in the room who might have had another question or two about the Lakers facing elimination.