JJ Redick has some explaining to do.

Technically, he did—just not to our satisfaction. Dalton Knecht got the nod to start tonight with Lakers’ star Anthony Davis out. With his former Volunteers coach Rick Barnes watching, the No. 17 pick put together a solid performance. However, Knecht’s run ended abruptly in the fourth quarter when he took an elbow to the jaw from Jake LaRavia, forcing him to exit the game and head to the locker room.

Dave McMenamin confirmed that he wasn’t going to be returning. Not that it would have made much difference as the Purple & Gold was already trailing by double digits and there were only a few minutes left on the clock. The ESPN veteran further provided the update that the 23-year-old “did not require any postgame X-rays on his jaw,” either.

That was a relief! Even so, someone more familiar with Dalton’s situation might have a better understanding of his condition, right? With that goal, Coach Redick was approached, only to be disappointed.

“It seemed like he was in some pain,” the Lakers coach stated. “I think he got hit in the face. I am not really sure. I can’t give you an answer to that.”

It certainly isn’t ideal, especially considering the leadership LeBron James showed in the absence of AD and Rui Hachimura. Despite his game-high 39 points and Ja Morant exiting in the third quarter with a right hamstring injury, Los Angeles found themselves thoroughly thrashed by the Grizzlies.

And now with JJ Redick’s seemingly casual nonchalance about the condition of one of their up-and-coming players, things don’t seem to be looking up for the Lakers’ new coach.

An additional factor here was his decision regarding D’Angelo Russell.

JJ Redick clarifies there is no deeper meaning behind his D’Angelo Russell decision

An interesting arrangement as the Lakers faced the Memphis Grizzlies tonight was benching D’Lo for the final 17 minutes. According to Jovan Buha, “he played just 22 minutes, the lowest of the starters.” Needless to say, reactions flew in ranging from many directing criticisms at Russell for his underwhelming performance to a few others wondering is JJ’s hold on the locker room is weakening.

But what did the Duke alum have to say about his decision to do so? “It wasn’t like a punishment. I just felt like you know for us to have a chance to win this game, that was the route we wanted to take,” he clarified post-game.

The Lakers coach further pointed out a few details that the $60 million rich star needed to focus on. JJ noted how D’Angelo’s “level of compete” and “attention to detail” were areas he’s shown improvement. But the problem was that it wasn’t consistent. More specifically, at times “it’s just reverting back to certain habits.”

D’Lo finished tonight with 12 points, three assists, and a rebound, while struggling to shoot, going 4-of-12 from the field and 2-of-9 from downtown.

Despite a hot start to the season, there are mounting questions about Redick’s handling of the roster as the Lakers coach finds himself under early scrutiny. From his response to Knecht’s injury to bold stance on D’Angelo Russell, JJ has made it clear that he has a no-nonsense approach. Only time will tell if Redick’s tough calls will yield the discipline and results the Purple & Gold need.