The Los Angeles Lakers just notched their sixth win in a row after defeating a gritty Clippers side 108-102 last night. While their offense has been as free-flowing as ever, it’s their defense and hustle that have led to their uptick in form. Coach JJ Redick used a play from LeBron James in the 4th quarter as an example of just how good his team has gotten on the business end of the court.
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While talking about the effort his team puts in each game, Redick brought up a passage of play in the 4th quarter, when the Lakers were leading 93-88.
LeBron James missed a long range 2-pointer with the Lakers fending off a strong Clippers comeback, but it was the hustle after this miss that had Redick excited.
He described how his players didn’t give up on the play and, with their tenacity and intensity, managed to create another 3 looks for James, which ended in a huge three-point bucket to put them up by 8 points.
“It probably wasn’t a play that was more emblematic of our effort than when it was 93-88,” Redick said to the press. “LeBron [James] misses a 22-foot 2-pointer, Vando gets the rebound, we get it back to LeBron,” he continued, impressed by how his team managed to keep their cool in the opposition half.
James’ missed 22-footer was rebounded by Jarred Vanderbilt, giving him another shot, which he ended up missing too. Some stellar work by Trey Jemison saw James get yet another look, this time a three-point shot, which he missed again.
After a recycle of possession by the Lakers, Luka Doncic saw the ball in his hands and executed a pin down play via Jemison to perfection, allowing LeBron a wide-open corner three, which he knocked down with ease.
Vando & Trey with 3 offensive rebounds in the same possession.
Ends with Trey falling down, getting up and setting a wide pin screen for LeBron in the corner. Dawgs pic.twitter.com/k7WHJYAbcA
— Raj C. (@RajChipalu) March 3, 2025
Redick’s entire identity as a coach has been built around hustle plays and going the extra mile to make sure that the team can maximize every possession. There’s no play that better represents his coaching, and the pride in his voice when he spoke about it made that clear.
With the Lakers taking hold of the 2nd spot in the West, Redick will be hoping his team doesn’t forget the importance of their hustle as they continue their hunt for banner number 18.
