It’s time for trades as JJ Redick blasts ‘terrible team’ and Luka Doncic prepares for uncomfortable future

There was no holiday cheer inside the Los Angeles Lakers’ arena on Christmas Day.

All the festivities were sucked away as the Lakers fell to a 119-116 defeat to the Houston Rockets in what is their sixth loss in the past 10 games.

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After a promising second quarter followed a slow start, the Lakers were awful for much of the proceedings against the Rockets on Thursday.

So much so, head coach JJ Redick launched a stunning rant in his post-game press conference as he attacked his players for their professionalism.

“We don’t care enough right now,” Redick said.

“And that’s the part that bothers you a lot. We don’t care enough to do the things that are necessary. We don’t care enough to be a professional.”

The downturn in the Lakers’ form is a stunning fall from grace after their blistering start to the campaign.

They began 15-4 in their first 19 games with a strong offense led by Luka Doncic‘s remarkable efficiency.

However, while he cannot be blamed entirely, since LeBron James has returned from injury, the Lakers appear to have gotten worse.

Against the Rockets, James scored 18 points, but the Lakers were outscored by 33 points in the 34 minutes he was on the court.

That marked his worst plus-minus performance as a Lakers player and marked the third-worst game of his entire 23-season career.

Doncic’s usage rate has dropped by 6% since James rejoined the team, and their free-flowing offense has looked slower and less physical.

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talkSPORT reacts... Blow up this Lakers team

The Lakers will not win a championship this year with this team.

Trades must come in Los Angeles this year if they are to salvage any hope of a deep postseason run.

JJ Redick’s remarks signal that change is coming, but it’s not enough to simply move a few pieces around.

The Lakers must make bold decisions about their rotation and address their weakness.

Alpren Sengun had 12 rebounds on Thursday, which matches the combined total of the entire Lakers starting lineup.

Their defense and physicality are unacceptable, with the trio of Doncic, Austin Reaves and James a glaring problem, as while they are potent in the offense, the back court hugely suffers.

If we are realistic, the Lakers will not trade James or Doncic, which leaves Reaves as their primary trade chip.

While Reaves is a fan favourite, the Lakers need a defensive anchor in this Western Conference; therefore, they should trade him.

What the Lakers need is clear: it’s athleticism and defensive powerhouses to build an identity that will enable Redick to execute his vision.

So by trading Reaves, who could prove valuable to many teams in the league, the Lakers could bring in several players that will build a defensive identity they so desperately need.

It was on display against the Rockets.

Houston jumped to a 14-point lead in the first quarter and never trailed in what was an entirely uncompetitive game.

“The two words of the day were effort and execution,” Redick said.

“And I feel like when we’ve done both of those things at a high level, we’ve been a good basketball team.

“When we haven’t, we’re a terrible basketball team. And tonight we were a terrible basketball team. And that started legitimately right away.”

When the Lakers are bad, they are really bad, as all 10 of their losses have come by 10 or more points this season.

Redick, without naming individuals, pointed to the fact that there are unprepared players on this team.

“It’s a matter of making the choice,” Redick added.

“And too often, we have guys that don’t want to make that choice. And it’s pretty consistent who those guys are.”

Luka Doncic calls for change

Doncic led his team with 25 points and seven assists, but also had a team-worst six turnovers.

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After the game, he echoed the words of his head coach, claiming it would get uncomfortable in Los Angeles as he called for change.

“I don’t know what has to change, but definitely something needs to change,” Doncic said.

“Think we [were] blown out the last three games. It definitely looks, like, terrible. We got to figure out, that’s the thing we have [to do]. …

“We just got to talk about it. Everybody got to talk about it. I know JJ said it’s going to be uncomfortable [for everybody]. As they should be.

“Everybody has got to give better effort, starting with me.”

The Lakers host the Sacramento Kings on Monday in what will certainly be a huge litmus test on Redick’s ability to get more out of his players.

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