Eight games into his career as a coach, JJ Redick already has put out a statement, explaining his courtside antics. Well, the LA Lakers and its fans are in for a long trip. During the last game against the Grizzlies, the 40-year-old coach had a tough time keeping his composure as the Lakers suffered a blowout loss. Especially, in a particular possession where D’Angelo Russell‘s shot selection triggered an unusual reaction from the coach, leaving the internet buzzing. Apart from his statement, Redick also made a big decision.

In the viral video, JJ slammed his seat a few times before sitting down after Russell’s shot was blocked from the arc. Notably, the coach had also dropped a statement, taking a direct jab at D’Lo at the post-game presser. So, the fans concluded that the guard’s performance had irked such a response from the coach. However, Redick, in his latest statement, denied it and confirmed that it was a reaction triggered by the entire team’s performance in the previous possession.

Redick, speaking at the pre-game presser, said, “I don’t like seeing myself in that light. When I watched the video, I actually forgot it happened. But I want to be clear on something and DLo and I actually talked about this today. That was not directed at him. Yes, it came after I think a shot in the corner that he took, but there was a 25 plays that preceded that from a number of different players.” 

However, the star coach’s statement doesn’t really add up with his latest decision. Redick clarified that he didn’t direct his frustration toward Russell, but he went on to bench him in tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers. So, let’s find out what went wrong with D’Lo.

D’Angelo Russell to the bench: What went wrong?

In the last season, Coach Darvin Ham faced a lot of criticism for altering the starting lineup often until it was too late. However, in the case of, JJ Redick, the rookie coach revealed the starting lineup way before the start of the season. Guess what, he had to change to 8 games into the season.

Well, ex-coach Ham wasn’t really wrong with his pick. Initially, the 51-year-old coach opted for Cam Reddish in the starting lineup, to utilize his offensive ability, and most importantly, he can produce a better defensive effort than the two existing guards, Austin Reaves and Russell. And, Redick seemed to have taken Ham’s route, as he promoted Reddish as the starting shooting guard and pushed Reaves to point guard.

It wasn’t a hasty decision either. Firstly, Redick reduced Russell’s minutes in the game against the Grizzlies. Following that, he directly landed a jab at D’Lo, saying, “Just level of compete, attention to detail, some of the things we’ve talked with him about for a couple of weeks… And at times, he’s been really good with that stuff, and other times, it’s just reverting back to certain habits.” So, Russell hasn’t really lived up to the coach’s expectation and will serve off the bench from here on. Will this move help the Lakers to get back to their winning ways? Let us know in the comments below.