Luka Dončić, JJ Redick and the Lakers Have Big Problems

The Lakers snapped a three-game losing streak over the weekend by taking it to the shorthanded Warriors at Chase Center on Saturday night, winning 129–101. It was a needed release of frustration for Los Angeles after a blowout loss at the hands of the Celtics was followed by two narrow defeats by four points combined. However, one moment from the victory over Golden State has followed the Lakers into this week.

Over the last few days, a clip of Luka Dončić appearing to bicker with coach JJ Redick on the L.A. sideline has gone viral. Redick was getting in Dončić’s ear after subbing him out and literally grabbed his arm to implore him to listen before Dončić took a seat. After a brief converstaion Redick walked back up the sideline; Dončić looked like he was going to follow his coach to continue the argument but Jarred Vanderbilt interceded by casually standing in his star teammate’s way.

This sort of video is the stuff of dreams for NBA gossip circles and thus it has been at the center of all Lakers’ discussion in the last few days. The noise got loud enough that ESPN’s primary Lakers reporter, Dave McMenamin, went on NBA Today and reported three sources strongly downplayed any semblance of tension between the two.

"If you have been around an NBA basketball team full of people who live for competition, sometimes it gets a little messy when they're trying to go towards a common goal."@mcten on the relationship between Luka Doncic and JJ Redick 🏀 pic.twitter.com/T9eK9L5Tsv
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 3, 2026

“I checked into this with people around the league and within the team. I’ll just tell you my reporting,” McMenamin said. “A league source said when he saw the video, ‘L.A. is different. The smallest thing becomes the biggest thing.’ A source close to Luka told me that him and JJ have a strong close relationship that dates back nearly a decade and they're both fiercely competitive and they push one another. A team source said find me a star in the NBA that isn't frustrated amidst a three-game losing streak. It's much ado about nothing.”

It was always most likely Dončić and Redick just got caught up in the heat of the moment. The eagerness to discuss what it might mean is standard for today’s sports-viewing population; any sign of friction between a star and his coach is great low-stakes fodder for fans. It is also a tempting starting point for larger talks around the Lakers’ struggles this season. Los Angeles remains firmly in the Western Conference playoff picture but has gradually slid down the standings over the last three months and are no longer considered a top threat to toppling the reigning champion Thunder.

McMenamin’s report above reflects the reality: there is no problem between Dončić and Redick. But there are problems with the team and they are significant with the playoffs just over a month away.

Lakers’ problems don’t include relationship between Dončić, Redick

Even without McMenamin’s reporting above it was pretty obvious Dončić and Redick work well together. Or, at least, well enough.

At times this season Redick has appeared frustrated with Dončić’s defensive effort and parade of complaints to the referees, to be sure. But whatever he’s doing with the superstar on the other end is working out quite well. Dončić is leading the league with 32.5 points per night and the Lakers’ offensive rating of 120.6 in his minutes on the floor would rank No. 1 in the NBA across a full season. It isn’t his most efficient season and his turnovers are up year-over-year but Redick clearly knows how to design an offense with Dončić as the conductor. Whether or not they experience friction their partnership is successful and productive towards the overarching goals of winning games.

But there’s plenty that still plagues this Lakers team, which has been overlooked in all the talk about Dončić and Redick.

As noted among last week’s Deandre Ayton headlines, Los Angeles is one of the worst 10 teams in the league defensively and owns concerning rebound numbers. There’s been plenty of talk about how lineups featuring Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves have not meshed, but the bigger issue is James’s minutes alongside Dončić; in 805 minutes together the Lakers have been outscored by 39 points. The lack of effectiveness from the bench has been an ongoing concern throughout the season and was not solved by the team’s deadline trade for Luke Kennard. Beyond the stats there are nights when the team simply seems disinterested in competing, which is not a trait true contenders boast.

These issues are largely inherent to the roster, too. The perimeter defense is not going to suddenly improve overnight when James, Reaves and Dončić (subpar defenders all) take up so many of the minutes. Ayton has played like a star one night and been completely invisible the next his entire career; that’s unlikely to change down the stretch of this season. On most nights, the Lakers can overcome those issues because their trio of stars is so utterly talented. But when going up against the cream of the crop in the West, teams with few weaknesses and an unstoppable drive to poke at those of Los Angeles, they prove fatal.

It won’t be the relationship betweeen Dončić and Redick that sinks this season.

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