The Lakers, despite being down two key players, were still able to beat the Memphis Grizzlies last weekend. Head coach JJ Redick had to make do with what he had, and he put together a perfect plan to make sure they got over the line.
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Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura sat out with calf injuries, but Jake LaRavia stepped up to help the team secure the win, alongside the usual duo of LeBron James and Luka Doncic, who dropped 30-plus points each. Redick sounded thrilled with the effort after the game.
The performance was so impressive that reporters felt the need to ask Redick afterward whether LaRavia or DeAndre Ayton, who did not score as many points but had a strong presence on the floor, would get bigger roles moving forward. However, the Lakers coach did not budge and instead referenced a quote he says he always uses.
“Stay within your role, star in your role,” Redick told the LA media.
The former 15-year NBA veteran knows everything about staying within a role. He insisted that he has been asked this before and that his answer never changes, essentially denying having any conversation about bigger roles for LaRavia or Ayton.
“I like this for our team, and it’s a good growth opportunity, coming off a win, knowing that there’s a lot of stuff that we can be better at and where we can make improvements, that’s the big challenge tonight.”
JJ Redick talks with @LakersReporter ahead of tonight’s matchup… pic.twitter.com/iYHasPV3u2
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 5, 2026
With an injury-riddled roster, LaRavia stepped up and delivered 21 points and nine rebounds. Ayton struggled offensively with just four points, though he also attempted only four shots.
The story of the game, however, was James and Doncic. The duo combined for 65 points, 14 assists, and 15 rebounds. Doncic was especially unstoppable, getting to the free-throw line 20 times and converting 17 of those attempts. He and James carried the Lakers to victory.
However, if LaRavia can continue to play well in his new starting role, he could earn more minutes moving forward. The fourth-year former first-round pick has had an interesting season so far. He has proven to be a valuable scoring option off the bench at times, but has also struggled for the most part. That said, LaRavia has now scored in double figures in five of his last seven games.
Ayton, on the other hand, is having a somewhat disappointing season with the Lakers. The team signed him with the hope that he could continue to be a walking double-double who anchors the center position. Instead, he is averaging a career low in rebounds and is not getting a ton of looks on offense.
At the end of the day, the heartbeat of the Lakers is always going to be LeBron and Luka. If they can get some extra production from their role players, though, it could go a long way come playoff time. That is why Redick is going to continue to experiment with the lineups and see what works as the season goes deeper.
