JJ Redick Calls Out ‘Selfish’ Luka Doncic and Team For Botching Lakers Offense

JJ Redick was unhappy with his team's performance against the Clippers.

JJ Redick Calls Out ‘Selfish’ Luka Doncic and Team For Botching Lakers Offense

Luka Doncic and JJ Redick

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Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers continue to struggle since the turn of the year. In their third clash of the 2025-26 campaign against their cross-town rivals Los Angeles Clippers, the Lakers suffered a 112-104 loss at the Intuit Dome on Thursday night. The Lakers showed some fight in the second half after being down by as much as 17 points, but could never close the gap in the end.

After getting their long eight-game road trip underway with a win over the Denver Nuggets, it was a disappointing loss for head coach JJ Redick and his men. The loss dropped the Lakers to sixth place in the Western Conference standings with a 26-17 record. Meanwhile, the Clippers continue their rich form and improved their record to 20-24, sitting 10th in the standings.

Since acquiring Luka Doncic last season, the Slovenian has been the focal point of the team. The Lakers guard led the scorers on Thursday as he recorded 32 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. Doncic is currently averaging 33.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists.

Despite leading the league in scoring, he has often been criticized for his lack of energy in defense. The team’s poor defense has been an Achilles Heel for the club and is one of the main reasons why the Lakers are not viewed as championship contenders this season.

Following their loss, Redick expressed dissatisfaction with the team’s performance in the post-match press conference.

We didn’t trust each other on the offensive end. Not enough passing. That was the line of the game – Not enough passing. That’s a consistent thing when we don’t play well, we don’t pass to each other and we don’t execute defensively.

The Lakers nation will be hoping their side get back to winning ways as they travel to face Doncic’s former team, the Dallas Mavericks, on January 24.

Kawhi Leonard leads the Clippers past the Lakers

Kawhi Leonard has been on absolute fire in the last few weeks and is one of the main reasons for the Clippers’ rise this season. He made his return on Thursday after missing out for a week due to injury. The two-time champion scored 24 points, marking his 23rd straight game with at least 20.

James Harden recorded a double-double and contributed 18 points and 10 assists. Ivica Zubac had a double-double of his own, as he recorded 18 points with 19 rebounds, as seven Clippers finished in double figures.

With Austin Reaves still ruled out, LeBron James had to clock heavy minutes once again and had a stat line of 23 points, five rebounds and six assists in nearly 36 minutes of action. Doncic and James combined to score 55 points while Rui Hachimura was the next highest scorer for the Lakers with just 12 points off the bench.

The Lakers were poor on both ends of the floor on Thursday but did show signs of improvement in the second half as they outscored the Clippers by 57-48.

The Lakers appreciate what LeBron James has done for them

This is James’ eighth season with the Lakers since joining the franchise in 2018. After going through some dark times following the retirement of Kobe Bryant, it was James who brought relevance to the club again. He won his fourth championship and his first with the Lakers in 2020.

LeBron James dunking on a lob
LeBron James dunking on a lob (Image via Bleacher Report/X)

The current campaign is James’ 23rd season in the NBA and he has shown no signs of slowing down. But considering he has just turned 41 and is at the backend of his career, the Lakers are building their future around Doncic.

Some recent reports have suggested that Lakers owner Jeanie Buss is frustrated with James and the “outsized ego” that the four-time MVP has. She even privately considered not extending James’ contract. During the press conference, Redick was asked about the organization’s appreciation for James.

I’ve been here two years. Everybody in this organization appreciates LeBron and what he’s done for the Lakers. He’s carried on the legacy and, truthfully, the burden of being a superstar for the Los Angeles Lakers for eight years, and he’s done it with class.

It is unfortunate that James’ legacy with the Lakers is being questioned despite delivering them a championship, and he has continued to perform at the highest level for the club.

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