The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a nail-biter at the Crypto.com Arena, edging out the Brooklyn Nets 102-101 on Friday. It wasn’t smooth sailing, though. The Nets had the upper hand for a while, but JJ Redick’s squad flipped the script just in time. Missing Anthony Davis, the Lakers looked shaky. Yet, LeBron James dropped 29 points, Austin Reaves exploded with a career-high 38, and their newest recruit made an interesting debut.

Rob Pelinka shook up the trade market again on January 15. This time, he snagged 25-year-old center Trey Jemison from the Pelicans. But it came at a price—the Lakers had to waive their two-way guard Quincy Olivari. Why the bold move? Simple: they needed muscle to back up JJ Redick’s centerpiece, Anthony Davis. The Lakers’ frontcourt was hanging by a thread with Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood injuries. Jemison’s arrival? A patch for the cracks and a shot at keeping AD from carrying the load alone.

Trey Jemison’s big moment came and went like a blink. Fifteen minutes on the court. Zero points. Four rebounds. The Lakers survived a nail-biter, but the newbie’s debut? Let’s call it… a learning experience. Postgame, reporters asked the head coach JJ Redick about the newcomer. His verdict? Unfiltered as always: “He played hard, you know. There’s some coverage stuff that he wasn’t very good at. But you know, first day on the job so we’ll be patient with him.”

Surely, the latest recruit could’ve done better in the first game in the purple and gold jersey. Trey Jemison’s first minutes in the game deserve consideration, given the last-minute decision-making and debut atmosphere. And as JJ said, the Lakers will be patient with him. Meanwhile, Bron shared some intel, that speaks a lot about the change-in-plot the head coach made.

JJ Redick’s major changes for Lakers vs. Nets came to light amidst Trey Jemison’s debut

The Lakers did not have their core team on the court against the Nets. Especially with Anthony Davis not available, JJ Redick‘s boys faced significant trouble. It was visible. You cannot truly say that the kind of game the 17x league champs played against the Miami Heat where they won 117-108. Also, The Brow was on the team. But on Friday, the 31-year-old was ruled out due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot. So, some drastic decision to turn the tables in the Lakers’ favor was needed.

This is where JJ Redick thought of putting his new player Trey Jemison in action. LeBron James talked about it in the media in the Lakers locker room. He said: “This league is too fragile to say ‘Okay well let’s pick up right where we left off in the second half against Miami.’ We can’t do that. We had Trey’s first minutes, you know. He was putting into a role where he didn’t think he was going to even play tonight. And then he’s next he’s the backup center getting minutes. So everybody’s roles had to just change.”

It looks like the head coach might have wanted to wait for a few more games before having Jemison on the team. But as the saying goes: “desperate times call for desperate measures,” JJ Redick did what he thought would be good for the team. But, was it good? Yes and No. Trey’s first game was a lackluster show and the team struggled their way to winning the game. Nonetheless, they got the points they needed to keep them as the sixth seed of the West.

The Lakers scraped by with a win, but Trey Jemison’s debut was more modest than memorable. JJ Redick’s bold call? A mix of necessity and gamble. While LeBron and Reaves carried the night, the rookie’s rough start showed there’s work to be done. Still, a win’s a win, and the Lakers remain in the playoff mix. Here’s hoping Trey’s next chapter brings more sizzle.