Lakers' JJ Redick Emphasizes 2 Things Needed to Beat Rockets

Facing a Rockets team that dominates the glass, JJ Redick outlines two non-negotiables for the Lakers in Game 1.

Apr 9, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick instructs his team against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The NBA playoffs will officially get underway for the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, with the storied franchise playing host to Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets in Game 1 at Crypto.com Arena.

With stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves still on the mend and no firm timetable to return to the floor for the Lakers, head coach JJ Redick will have his hands full trying to figure out how to take down Ime Udoka’s gritty squad in a seven-game series.

JJ Redick Points Out Keys to Beating the Rockets

Mar 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick reacts during a play in the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

As heavy underdogs heading into this first-round series, Redick has emphasized a couple of things during practices this week. He wants his team to minimize turnovers and crashing the glass against a very good rebounding team, via Dan Woike of The Athletic.

“Take care of the ball and box out,” he said.

Without the team’s two best players in the backcourt, the Lakers will lean heavily on LeBron James, Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart as primary ballhandlers.

Surprisingly, Kennard, known for his elite shooting from beyond the arc, has done an admirable job initiating the offense in the absence of Doncic and Reaves. Smart, who missed nine games with a right ankle contusion at the tail end of the regular season, is back and healthy and will help shoulder the load in the backcourt.

However, when it comes to rebounding, effort is key, which will be a tough test for a Lakers team that hasn’t excelled in that area. 

“We gotta box out,” Redick said. “We’re going to place an emphasis on every drill in practice. We started practice with boxing out today. You gotta put it in their minds. That’s literally the only thing we said about Houston today.”

During the regular season, the Rockets led the league in the rebounding department at 48.1 rebounds per game, while the Lakers were near the bottom of the NBA in that category at 41.0.

As for turnovers, both teams were in the middle of the pack in the league, with Los Angeles coming in at 13.8 per game and Houston at 14.4.

Although the Lakers have a tough hill to climb with Doncic and Reaves, at least for the time being, anything can happen in the playoffs when effort is applied. Los Angeles has a fighting chance against Houston, but there’s no margin for error.

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