Luka Dončić put on a scoring clinic in his best performance as a Laker, but even his heroics couldn’t save them from a loss to the Bucks on Thursday. He was relentless—attacking the paint, drawing fouls, cashing in at the line, and drilling heat-check threes like it was nothing. With the rest of the team struggling to get buckets, Dončić’s 45-point outburst still wasn’t enough to pull off a win. And it wasn’t all rosy for him. He had an issue that has been identified by JJ Redick.

He shot 14-for-27 from the field, knocked down 7 of his 13 three-point attempts, and went 10-for-12 from the free-throw line. The problem? The 5x All-Star had 5 turnovers. And in the last 7 games, the Slovenian has consistently had at least 5 turnovers. But his boss Redick doesn’t think it’s all because of him.

Speaking to reporters postgame, Redick emphasized that many of Dončić’s turnovers weren’t entirely on him. “Yeah, I think Luka looked very comfortable, uh regardless of the coverages they gave him,” the 40 year-old coach said. “You know, in a couple of those turnovers, when they blitzed him, weren’t necessarily his fault, to be honest with you. Again, it goes just back to some execution things and playing lineups we haven’t played.”

Redick also pointed out that Dončić doesn’t always get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to officiating. “And then some of the turnovers were, you know, he gets—I think he gets a tough whistle. That’s just—that’s a fact.”. But don’t worry he’s already figured out what the solution to this problem.

“Yeah, I don’t know the exact PPP, but I know that we, we, um, we’ve been been pretty good against the shock or the blitz relative to some of the other coverages,” Redick said. “So, I think we’ve gotten good looks out of that, and some of the turnovers are out of that. But that’s, that’s natural if you’re gonna get double teams sometimes.”

Redick emphasized the importance of spacing and positioning when Dončić gets blitzed, suggesting that better execution could lead to fewer mistakes. “It goes back to like they are going to put two on the ball, and there’s one guy on the weak side. Well, the top guy has to pull behind, get to the top, get to the top of the key,” he explained.

He also mentioned a plan to work on these issues in practice. “I’d love to have a bunch of offensive breakdown segments in practice to get that in because it’s right there. We see it on tape. We watch it at halftime. It’s there. And I know Luka is a willing passer, so we’ll be able to do that eventually.”

Redick’s comments show that, despite turnover issues, the Lakers actively improve their offensive reads and execution to minimize mistakes.

While turnovers have been a key focus, Redick pointed out another area of improvement—Austin Reaves’ tendency to start slow offensively.

“And then AR, I thought, was, was great all night,” Redick said. “And I think sometimes with him, you know, the tendency to want to get going early, particularly with Bron out, um, is there and didn’t score a ton early, but then, but then really got it going from the second quarter on and and was fantastic offensively.”

Reaves only had 2 points in the first quarter, a steep fall from his average of 4.9 points this season. Finding consistency from the opening tip could help the Lakers’ offense flow more smoothly at least until LeBron James is back. While Reaves working through his slow starts is key, another player has already made a massive impact since arriving in L.A.

JJ Redick credits this one player for the Lakers’ turnaround

Dorian Finney-Smith made his Lakers debut on Dec. 31 after coming over from Brooklyn, and he’s been a difference-maker ever since. Brought in for his defense and floor spacing, he’s given JJ Redick exactly what this team needed.

With Finney-Smith in the lineup, the Lakers have gone 19-8. Their defense has jumped to fourth in the NBA, their offense sits at 10th, and they now hold the league’s sixth-best net rating. The impact? Undeniable. Before the trade, they lacked consistency—now, they’re a legitimate contender.

JJ Redick knows just how valuable he’s been.“He’s brought a level of toughness. Certainly communication and the spirit to want to defend. I think guys have responded well to who he is as a player, a teammate, a person. He’s just fit right in,” Redick told ClutchPoints. “Our season kind of turned around, the energy and spirit of our group turned around when we got him. He’s been huge for us.”

Dončić’s blockbuster trade will always dominate headlines, but Finney-Smith’s arrival was the first move that shifted the Lakers’ trajectory. Without him, it’s hard to imagine them as serious contenders this season.

His defensive versatility has helped L.A. stay competitive despite lacking a true starting center. More than just his skill set, his energy and leadership have set the tone for the team’s resurgence.