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The first season for an NBA coach is always tough, and a bitter ending doesn’t make things easier.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ season ended on Wednesday night following their Game 5 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. After tying the series up in Game 2, it appeared the Lakers would have an opportunity to gain an advantage over the next few games.
Instead, Minnesota won the next three contests and ended Los Angeles’ season. After being expected to have a clear edge in crunch time with LeBron James and Luka Doncic on their side, the Lakers failed to execute well enough in the final three games of the series, all being close losses.
While the players obviously could have played a bit better throughout the series, Lakers coach JJ Redick had his fair share of struggles. After starting Jaxson Hayes in Game 4, Redick refused to play him past the first half of that contest and even ran the same five-man lineup for the entire second half in Minnesota.
Despite getting dominated by Rudy Gobert and his prowess on the glass, Redick opted to stay small for the entirety of Game 5. While he was dealt a tough hand this season, Redick reflected on his season and understood he has yet to reach his ceiling as an NBA head coach.
“I can get a lot better,” Redick said after Game 5.
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While the Lakers had an unsatisfying finish to the season, it’s hard to call Redick’s rookie coaching season anything but a success. He helped the Lakers get the No. 3 seed in the West and had to make significant adjustments after the Doncic trade in February.
Going into next season, Redick should have a better grasp on how to manage an 82-game season. But most importantly, Redick should understand how to overcome this playoff disappointment and lead the Lakers to a deeper run in 2026.
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