The Los Angeles Lakers were run off the floor by the Pistons on Tuesday night, and it has caused fans to call for head coach JJ Redick’s job. They have lost four of their last five games, and the closest game was by 15 points. Their defense has been atrocious in December, and the roster is playing uninspired. Redick deserves a hefty dose of the blame. Fans have not hesitated to let him have it.
The Lakers lack the necessary defensive talent to be elite on that end of the floor, but they sit next to last in defensive rating since Dec. 1. LA gave up 120.3 points per game over that 12-game stretch. They somehow managed five wins, but the problems are mounting.
Redick made several baffling decisions against the Pistons, and it looked like his team was going to lose from the early going. The Lakers weren’t playing with the energy, effort, and toughness needed to defeat a top-tier team. Detroit is first in the Eastern Conference, but their domination of Los Angeles had fans wanting Redick’s job.
Lakers fans are quickly turning on JJ Redick
Redick was going to play an eight-man rotation in the second half against the Pistons. He tried Maxi Kleber early on, but he lasted just four minutes. His shooting struggles and physical decline make it difficult to play him. The Lakers were without Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Gabe Vincent, so the coach didn’t have many places to turn. Still, he refused to play the young talent.
Dalton Knecht scoring ten points in garbage time didn’t help Redick’s cause, and it started a flood of tweets calling for the coach’s job.
Im no coach, but maybe just maybe, JJ Reddick should play Knecht more?!?!? Just food for thought!
— Irrelevant Sports Takes (@IrrelevantSpor) December 31, 2025
JJ reddick about to throw his players under a bus due to his poor schemes and lineups lol. The lakers need to fire him trade LeBron & Hire Mike Malone
— MEEZY 🇩🇴 (@LightGaffle) December 31, 2025
@Lakers got zero defense. They need to fire JJ Reddick after this. Frustrating. Embarrassing 😞
— Ariel Amit (@Aryelster) December 31, 2025
To be clear, Redick’s job is safe. The Lakers extended him after his first season, and he is locked in until 2030. There were plenty of positives in year one, but fans are frustrated by the team’s effort and energy this season. They are not playing defense, and the losses are starting to pile up.
The Lakers need upgrades, but part of coaching is making the team more than the sum of its parts. Redick is not doing that. He won’t give the young players chances, despite the veterans struggling. Losing is one thing. It is the way the Lakers are dropping games, and the lack of experimentation by the head coach that is creating even more frustration.
Fans should be mad. This is a franchise with three stars and title aspirations. They are not on that level with the roster as currently constructed, but Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves want to win immediately. The Lakers playing this poorly is not what anyone expected. They keep getting blown out and somehow find new embarrassing lows.
The Los Angeles Lakers are down bad, and fans are calling for JJ Redick’s job. They have every right to be frustrated. This is a chance for Redick to prove himself. He must get the team out of this funk and maximize the roster he has. The Lakers may not be true title contenders, but they should be better than this. If Redick can turn things around, fans will jump right back on the bandwagon. The pressure is certainly on.