12-Year NBA Veteran Makes Statement on Lakers’ Season With JJ Redick

Former Sixers guard Patrick Beverley made a statement on JJ Redick's run with the Lakers.

Apr 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick speaks to media before a game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Wednesday night’s slate of NBA Playoffs featured the conclusion of former Philadelphia 76ers player JJ Redick’s first season as a head coach.

As the Los Angeles Lakers entered the matchup trailing 1-3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Redick and the Lakers were under a lot of pressure. Coming off a Game 4 loss, where Redick played just five players throughout the entire second half, the rookie head coach was getting a ton of heat.

Before the game, he grew frustrated with a question regarding his decision and left without taking any more questions. Hours later, the Lakers lost and their season ended with a 4-1 first-round loss. Considering everything that transpired, Redick continued to catch a lot of heat, leading the veteran guard Patrick Beverley to come to his defense.

via @patbev21: Yall on here really dissing Coach JJ 🤦🏾‍♂️ he did a great job with this team his first year. He went up against one of the best teams in the league. Give JJ credit. he just came up short.

Yall on here really dissing Coach JJ 🤦🏾‍♂️ he did a great job with this team his first year.
He went up against one of the best teams in the league. Give JJ credit. he just came up short. @PatBevPod

— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) May 1, 2025

Since the Lakers have moved like a championship-caliber team, and formed a superstar duo of Luka Doncic and LeBron James, the stakes were extremely high.

Despite the Lakers winning the third seed in a tough Western Conference, they wouldn’t find themselves in an easy spot, playing the Timberwolves, who made a deep run last year. The Lakers might’ve been favored heading into the series, but Redick’s team came up quite short.

Still, Beverley doesn’t want to see the series loss cloud judgment about a rookie head coach’s first season in charge. LA was still a top team in the West, finishing 50-32, trailing only the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Lakers will need to improve outside of the core, but they have a prime superstar in Luka, along with LeBron, who could return to action once again. Redick’s Lakers are likely to remain a team to watch when it comes to Western Conference contenders next season.