JJ Redick says Lakers looked ‘tired’ during Magic loss

With the Lakers playing so many games and currently on a losing streak, JJ Redick talked about his team's exhaustion.

The NBA season is an 82-game grind, and teams experience challenges at different stages. For the Lakers, it certainly feels like they are dealing with a rough patch as we enter this final stretch of games.

Yes, they have all their rotation players like LeBron James and Rui Hachimura back, but they’ve now lost three straight games, with their most recent defeat happening against the below .500 Orlando Magic.

After losing a game that appeared to be winnable on the calendar, JJ Redick discussed why his team couldn’t give him 48 minutes of intense play.

“I think a couple of guys, maybe from the schedule and being in and out of the lineup, and a couple of guys being injured, we just look tired,” Redick said. “I don’t know what contributes to that. That happens periodically throughout a season where the group gets tired. That’s what it feels like right now.”

It’s clear that Los Angeles’ effort level dropped off as the game against Orlando progressed. The Lakers were leading 60-58 to start the third quarter and came out flat, getting outscored 34-18 in the period.

They never recovered from the poor offensive execution during the third and were once again outrebounded and out-hustled by their opponent, similar to what happened to the Lakers against the Bulls last week.

Redick saying his team is tired is the last thing Lakers fans want to hear, but even a professional's body is human.

If players on the Lakers already had tired legs due to playing six games in eight days and then had to take a six-hour flight to Orlando and play heavy minutes against a hungry Magic team, then that’s just the tough breaks they must work through.

When you add a lack of continuity, given all the players that have missed games recently, and mix it with fatigue, you get a perfect cocktail for failure.

Things won’t get easier for the purple and gold as they have another back-to-back scheduled as they face the Indiana Pacers and the Chicago Bulls next during this four-game road trip.

Redick will have to find ways to keep his guys fresh, get back in the win column and build chemistry with Lebron, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves so they can clinch a playoff berth and then be primed for a long postseason run.

This seems like an impossible task at this point, but that’s the life of an NBA head coach.

If Redick pushes the right buttons and finds a way to balance everything out, this team can get back on track.

So far in his first year in charge, he’s handled every challenge thrown his way, and the Lakers have come out better on the other side of it. Let’s see how he manages to get L.A. through this rough patch.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.