JJ Redick is experiencing his welcome to the NBA moment as Lakers head coach

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick has been one of the most surprisingly successful hires of the 2024 offseason. It's still early in his first season at the helm, but his work ethic, modern approach to player management, and innovative tactics have garnered league-wide acclaim.

For as impressive as Redick has been, there's an unfortunate flaw that continues to plague the Lakers against high-level opponents: Third-quarter execution.

It's one of the most understated, yet crucial truths in the NBA: Halftime adjustments can make or break a team's ambitions. The right decisions by the coaching staff can turn a game around or create a lead that borders on impossible to overcome.

The wrong choices, however, can put a team in the type of hole that swings momentum all but entirely in the opposition's favor.

The Lakers are playing well overall, but the third quarter has become their enemy during recent losses. In each of their past four defeats, teams have gotten the best of Los Angeles coming out of halftime—and it's becoming increasingly more difficult to overlook that persistent truth.

If the Lakers are going to realize their potential and compete at the highest level against postseason-caliber opponents, then Redick will need to find a sustainable approach to making halftime adjustments.

Lakers have been getting obliterated during the third quarter

Los Angeles is coming off of back-to-back losses to postseason-caliber opponents. It fell 127-102 to the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 23 and experienced a nearly identical defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 26, 127-100.

Los Angeles was actually leading 63-57 at halftime against Denver, but was outscored 37-15 in the third quarter—much as it trailed by just two points, 62-60, at the half against Phoenix, only to be outscored 36-18 in the third.

That alone offers reason for concern, as the Lakers' halftime adjustments proved insufficient in both games. The more concerning element of this trend, however, is that it didn't start against Denver, but has actually been a recurring theme.

The Lakers were outscored 29-21 in the third quarter during a 119-118 loss to the Orlando Magic on Nov. 21, and 36-28 in a 131-114 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies and Nov. 6.

Those are smaller margins to overcome, but eight-point swings in one and 17-point losses are tough to overlook. It's a trend that comes down to more than just coaching, but halftime adjustments are a burden placed on the sideline general.

It was inevitable that Redick would encounter a challenge of this nature, but the time has now arrived for him to figure out how to adapt—especially with the Lakers' upcoming road-heavy schedule.

If Redick finds a way to adjust to his opposition during halftime, the Lakers' general quality of play and talent will prevail in most situations. If he fails to find a way to do so, however, the strong start to the 2024-25 campaign will be erased.

It's a heavy burden for any head coach to carry, but this is Redick's official, "Welcome to the NBA," moment—and the Lakers must overcome it together.