The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night, and head coach JJ Redick talked about the growing issues with the officials in his postgame presser. He wants consistency because teams don’t know what to expect right now. The Lakers allowed the Blazers to shoot an NBA season-high 22 free throw attempts in the opening quarter, and it felt like the whistle never stopped blowing. The Lakers must be better, but teams have to know what to expect.
LA was shorthanded in Portland with Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton, Jaxson Hayes, and Adou Thiero out. They had to go small the entire game and were unlikely to win on the road without five players. Still, the officiating was a problem and must be better moving forward.
The former NBA player turned podcaster turned head coach is known for his blunt and honest takes. He gave one about the officiating on Saturday night. Redick was not blaming the zebras for costing the Lakers the game, but he wants things to improve.
JJ Redick says there is no consistency in how the game is being called
The head coach had this to say about the free throws and why things got out of hand early.
“It is more about the way the game is called. They (the officials) got off to a bad start tonight, and they admitted that to me. Then, they were just all over the map. Making calls and not actually making a call. That happened multiple times where we have to go over and go ‘what’s going on’.”
Redick noted that he wasn’t singling them out or blaming the officials for the loss, but he believes that most teams are frustrated with the inconsistency of the referees. Nobody knows what to expect or what is being called.
He also spoke about communication breakdowns with the crew chief that made things even worse. The referees must clearly let teams know what is being called and let them adjust.
Consistency is all any head coach wants from the officiating crew. Let the team know what will be called allow them to adjust to that. It has to be the same across the board, though. One referee can’t call a foul, and someone else give nothing in that exact situation. That only leads to more frustration and breakdowns in communication.
The NBA may be playing a behind-the-scenes role here. Tom Haberstroh just wrote a fantastic article about this. Scoring is down, and the referees are playing a role. The NBA must get everyone on the same page again. No team should be shooting 20-plus free throws in a quarter, and the disparity should never be 22 to three.
The NBA must act. Clarify the rules and communicate changes. That is all teams want. Coach Redick says it isn’t currently happening, but that is an easy fix for Adam Silver and the league.
Saturday’s loss to Portland was not all bad. Drew Timme set a new career-high in points, and fans got to see some new lineup combinations. Sadly, there isn’t much more for Los Angeles to be excited about.
The Lakers issues are well-documented. They must make a trade and be more connected on defense. The fouls can't become a norm or things will continue to spiral. It is on the players to make the adjustments.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick made his complaints with the officials clear after the team’s loss in Portland. It had to be said. Redick wasn’t placing blame anywhere. His team wasn’t good enough, but the league must sort out its issues, too. If not, it will get worse before it gets better. Nobody wants that.