Gilbert Arenas Believes Lakers JJ Redick Should be Fired Following Team's Recent Struggles

Ricardo Klein | Dec 4, 2024

Nov 26, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick against the Phoenix Suns during an NBA Cup game at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Former NBA All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas never shies away from the spotlight. Arenas took a shot at Lakers first-year head coach JJ Redick, saying that he would have fired Redick following the team's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. 

“Put it like this: J.J. would’ve got fired last night if it was up to me,” Arenas said.

Arenas was as blunt as possible, but it may be a bit premature. Redick has shown that he has the coaching chops, although we are only a quarter through the season. Nonetheless, their recent struggles have less to do with Redick and more with the team and how they are constructed.

The Lakers are in the bottom half of the defensive rating, ranked 24th with a 116.7 defense rating. They are lower than teams like the Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets, and the Toronto Raptors. 

Their offensive rating is 113.8, ranking them 10th. Still, that is not good enough, and their latest offensive outing has not been pretty. 

The Lakers are coming off arguably their worst performance of the season on Monday when they were run out of the building, only scoring 80 points in their 190-80 loss. 

Redick and the Lakers did not have a good game plan, and their two best players, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, were putrid, making things worse. 

Davis shot just 4-for-14 from the field on Monday, scoring 12 points to go along with 11 rebounds and five assists. It was just the second time all season that Davis failed to score 15 points in a game, and the 12 points were his fewest of the 2024-25 campaign so far.

James was not any better. He recorded 10 points, the fewest of the season, and shot 4-for-16 from the field and 0-for-4 from beyond the arc. He finished the game with eight rebounds, four assists, and six turnovers. 

There will be some growing pains with Redick at the helm, but the Lakers' problems clearly lie way beyond Redick. L.A. is counting on a guy who will turn 40 in a couple of weeks, night in and night out.

They do not have a deep roster and are extremely flawed in many areas of the court. L.A. needs more on both sides of the floor, and it is out of Redick's hands at that point. 

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