JJ Redick loves a nine-man rotation. That has been his go-to for the majority of the 2025-26 season for the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite that, the second-year coach has begun to move away from that approach during his recent outings with the team, bumping that rotation up to 10 when it matters.
The Lakers bench, roster, and depth does not look particularly intimidating or impressive at first glance. So, why would Redick expand his minutes to include more players? That much is pretty simple to explain, actually.
For Redick, it is has been a challenge of finding which role players work best in a given situation. Mainly, the hurdle for him to clear is figuring out which personnel fits best when each of his given stars are on the court. Matching lineups up to Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James accordingly requires some effort based on the playing styles and needs of each individual.
A guy who works naturally off a combination of Doncic and Reaves may not always lend himself as well when it is James and Reaves by contrast. The players who Luka needs out there when he's all by his lonesome may be different too. Redick has responded accordingly by opening up his minutes. It worked well in the last two games for Los Angeles.
JJ Redick's shift to a 10-man rotation should prove best for the Lakers
After a gut-wrenching loss to the Phoenix Suns featured a nine-man rotation, Redick went with 10 guys against both the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings (before benches were cleared to skew the results). For his efforts, the Lakers coach was rewarded with two blowout wins. Granted, the competition has been much weaker in both of those games too.
However, with the importance of the aforementioned fit concerns, it should be the standard, at least until the postseason to truly figure out which guys deserve those minutes most. The rotations will inevitably shrink. Sticking with 10 for now gives Redick ample opportunity to evaluate.
The main concern here would be just how temporary this adjustment is. It would come from the timing of when Redick explored the change.
It was a back-to-back this past weekend, and the third game in four nights. That is always going to equal tired legs. Perhaps Redick only deployed a 10-man rotation in an effort to keep guys fresh. The hope would be that being the furthest thing from the truth.
The Lakers star have caught a lot of heat this season from the media. Maximizing those guys by who is around them has been just as big of an issue — if not more — as any play coming directly from the three main guys. Redick might finally have the juice he needs here with his latest adjustment.