JJ Redick Says Lakers Must Be In ‘Championship Shape’ Next Season

The Los Angeles Lakers fell in their first-round series to the Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1. Lakers head coach JJ Redick has pointed to various reasons for why the Lakers’ season ended in such a disappointing fashion.

One of those reasons is not being in “championship shape.”

“I’ll start with the offseason and the work that’s required in an offseason to be in championship shape,” Redick said. “There are individuals that were in phenomenal shape. There’s certainly other ones that could have been in better shape.”

While Redick did not single out a player, it’s very possible he was alluding to Lakers superstar Luka Doncic.

When Doncic was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, Doncic’s physical shape was reportedly one of the reasons the Mavericks shopped Doncic.

Despite the widespread criticism of the trade, it appears that Doncic’s physical shape could have been a factor in the Lakers’ losses.

There are other holes the team acknowledged to the media for the reasons why the Lakers struggled, among them was the lack of rebounding.

In game five, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert finished with career playoff highs of 27 points and 24 rebounds.

“I think when you make a huge trade at the deadline where you trade your starting center for a point guard, of course, that’s going to create significant issues with the roster, and we saw some of those play out,” Rob Pelinka, GM of the Lakers, said.

The Lakers’ future, and more specifically, the future of LeBron James, has a level of uncertainty. Many have speculated that James will retire. If James continues to play, the Lakers will likely look to “run it back” with the same core.