Lakers’ Redick characterizes disagreement with Vanderbilt as ‘typical’
LOS ANGELES — Lakers head coach JJ Redick mentioned that a “confluence of things” contributed to a tense moment between him and Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt during the second quarter of L.A.’s 123-87 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
Redick called a timeout just 16 seconds into the second quarter to substitute Vanderbilt out of the game, instructing second-year guard Dalton Knecht to enter in his place. Upon learning of this decision, Vanderbilt approached Redick near the free throw line while the coach was preparing to draw up a play on a dry erase board and expressed his displeasure.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who was in street clothes due to a Grade 2 left oblique strain sustained last week, along with Lakers assistant coach Nate McMillan, intervened to separate Vanderbilt and Redick.
“It’s nothing personal with him. Normal stuff from my end,” Redick stated when asked about the incident after the game. “I think for all of us, being undermanned, we’ve got to scrap and claw, weβve got to all be on the same page, weβve got to be great teammates, weβve got to all play hard. Called a timeout to get him out of the game. And he reacted.
“But again, normal interaction for me.”
Redick kept Vanderbilt on the bench for the remainder of the game. He recorded three points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in five minutes of play, despite L.A. being without five key rotation players: Reaves, Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain), LeBron James (left foot soreness), Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion), and Jaxson Hayes (left foot soreness). Vanderbilt departed the arena after the game before reporters were allowed into the locker room.
Although he has been healthy throughout the season, Vanderbilt has participated in only 62 games this year, having been sidelined due to coach’s decisions in nine out of ten games from mid-November to early December and again in eight out of 17 games in March. Redick also gave Rui Hachimura, who started Tuesday’s matchup, a quick hook in the first quarter, substituting him just two minutes and 27 seconds after the game began and bringing in rookie Adou Thiero in his place.
“I called the early timeout because Rui didn’t do his job, so took him out of the game,” Redick explained. “We’ve got to find nine guys that are all in on us fighting and willing to go out … [and do] whatever you got to do to go out and fight and be all in on the team. We’ll find the nine guys. It’s a great opportunity for us over the next three games to find those guys.”
Redick reinserted Hachimura into the game with 3:24 left in the first quarter, and he concluded with a team-high 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
Hachimura opted not to speak to reporters following the game.
Los Angeles (50-29) currently holds the No. 4 position in the Western Conference standings and has three games left in the regular-season schedule, starting Thursday on the road against the Golden State Warriors.
In the immediate aftermath of Doncic’s injury, Redick stated that his team’s objective was to maintain the No. 3 seed in the West, but after Reaves’ oblique strain was confirmed and the Lakers lost to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, he revised that perspective on Tuesday.
“You obviously have to tackle the situation in front of you, that we have — a unique situation in front of us,” Redick remarked. “And we’ve got to prepare our team, our group that we’re going to have available to play in the playoffs series. … How we approach next week leading into Game 1, it’s finding who’s going to be able to play in the playoffs for us. … The seeding part probably went out the window after the OKC game.”
