Episode Details

The Lakers were, of course, without LeBron James and Rui Hachimura Monday in Brooklyn, but they were also without Dorian Finney-Smith and Jaxson Hayes as well. 

That's a lot of rotation and size in street clothes, and even with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves in uniform for the Lakers, it's easy to see how the Lakers could lose even to a lousy team like the Nets, which is exactly what they did, 111-108. 

There are times when a coach will look at the context—so many missing players, coming off a tough loss in Boston, generally playing well, important games coming up—and downplay the loss. Basically call it an aberration, give the team the ol' attaboy, and move on. JJ Redick didn't do that. Instead, he was as critical of his Lakers as he's been all year. He accused them all game of trying to take shortcuts, and not doing as a team what is required to win. He slammed the team's lack of communication, and generally gave them no space to wallow in their current state. (Which, it should be noted, includes a clearly-not-100-percent Luka.) 

Big picture, the game was lost because Reaves and Dončić were wildly inefficient from the field (11-40 combined from the floor). Halfway decent shooting from either/both is probably enough to win. And then the Lakers turned the ball 15 times, and allowed 16 offensive rebounds. Again, clean up one of those and it's probably enough to win the game. 

But Redick was really talking about much more than this game. He was reminding the Lakers that the bar has been raised. Winning as much as they have has elevated what's possible for this season, and with it, the acceptable standard of performance as a team, no matter who is available to play. He's reminding them that with players out, they need to control the stuff they can control. Sometimes shots fall, sometimes they don't. Sometimes players make the wrong read, or dribble the ball off their foot. But communication? That's easy to control, and isn't the provenance of any single player on the roster. 

Redick's reaction is a great sign for measuring how much he believes in the potential of the season, and how far things have come over the course of the year. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: Reaves and Luka shoot poorly as the Lakers lose in Brooklyn. 

SEGMENT 2: Why Redick reacted the way he did. 

SEGMENT 3: Why no Koloko? 

Your favorite podcast now has a newsletter! In One-stop for ultimate team and league coverage delivered right to your in box. Sign up for free now, at lockedondaily.com.

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

Turbo Tax
Ready for stress-free taxes and the most money back, guaranteed? Head over to TurboTax.com today and get matched with your Expert. Only available with TurboTax Live Full Service. Real-time updates only in the iOS mobile app. See guarantee details at TurboTax.com/guarantees.

WayFair
After the holiday hustle, there’s nothing like giving your home a little TLC. Give your home the refresh it needs with Wayfair. Head to Wayfair.com right now. Wayfair. Every style. Every home.

SKIMS
Shop SKIMS Mens at SKIMS.com/lockedonnba. Let them know we sent you! After you place your order, select