Lakers get the message after Redick’s team meeting

Lakers coach JJ Redick didn’t outright call out star guard Luka Doncic’s passing — or lack of it — after the team’s Thursday loss to the Clippers.

But he also didn’t absolve Doncic from any fault in the issue, saying that Doncic has “got to trust the pass…[when] he’s playing in a crowd, he’s got to pass the ball.”

Doncic’s response? 

Back-to-back double-digit assists performances, including a 46-point, 12-assist showing in Monday’s road win over the Chicago Bulls for Doncic’s third 40-point, 10-assist game of the season. 

“I was just being aggressive,” Doncic said.

Doncic has downplayed Redick’s comments about his passing since being asked about them after the loss to the Clippers, though he acknowledged his responsibility to be the catalyst for ball movement as the team’s primary ball handler.

And the numbers suggest that Doncic hasn’t made a significant shift to his game since the loss to the Clippers.

But it feels like Doncic has made a shift.

Getting off the ball a little bit earlier than usual. And with a little bit more intentionality. 

And it isn’t just an observation. Rui Hachimura acknowledged the team had a meeting in which Redick told his star players that they need to pass more. 

“I want to give it credit to our coaches, especially JJ. They talked to the main [ball handlers]: LeBron [James], Luka, those guys, they always have the ball. And they told them that in the team meeting that they need to be looking more for their teammates. And that’s what they’ve been doing. 

“They took it in a good way and that’s what they’ve been doing. Everybody gets touches and everybody shares a ball. It’s fun. That’s how basketball should be. We got to keep doing it.”

It’s unlikely the Lakers will become a high-frequency passing team. 

It isn’t necessary for success.

Their 269.8 passes per game entering the win over the Bulls ranked No. 27 across the league. 

And with Doncic, James and Austin Reaves — who’s expected to return to the lineup within the next week — having the ability to create advantages in a variety of ways, the Lakers don’t always need to pass to create the best scoring opportunity.

But there’s a benefit to the Lakers’ star players, and especially Doncic, for getting their teammates more involved via passing.

They’re more engaged offensively. They’ll play harder defenisively because they’re more engaged. And trust will build. 

“When you’ve got a playmaker like that,” Jaxson Hayes said of Doncic. “Just somebody on your team who can just make any type of plays happen like that passing or shooting, obviously you just gotta give them a chance.”

And when Doncic is in a passing rhythm like he was when he made the behind-the-back pass to Gabe Vincent off a live dribble before Vincent made the swing pass to assist Rui Hachimura for a 3-pointer to put the Lakers up 89-80 in the third against the Bulls, it can be just as infectious on the team’s energy as one of Doncic’s stepback 3s.

“I’ve talked about this: he’s an engine that’s fully on, and he likes to create out there, and that’s a part of what makes him a great player,” Redick said. “Because I played with him, I have a pretty good understanding of that. Not to say it doesn’t test your patience at times, but you have to be willing to live with some of the stuff that he tries. Because more often than not, you’re going to get a great result.

“And he had some great passes. He made some amazing shots. But there’s that creative element that he needs to thrive, and you’ve got to allow that. 

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