The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a tough loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, falling in a blowout, 132-108. The Lakers looked out of sorts all night, and without superstar Luka Doncic, they couldn’t get the offense going when the Suns went on their own run. Afterward, Lakers head coach JJ Redick didn’t dwell on shooting percentages; instead, he focused on an unsettling breakdown in communication.

“We had a guy the other day who hasn’t played a lot who didn’t know what a flood was in the middle of the game,” Redick told reporters in the postgame conference. “We clearly have some room to grow in that area.”

For reference, a “flood” is a defensive coverage designed to push defenders towards one side of the floor, usually against pick-and-rolls or strong-side actions. It needs multiple defenders to rotate in sync to try to force the ball towards the sideline and cut off passes while putting bodies to zone out the weak side. If one read is missed, the coverage collapses. But who is that player in question?

Lakers fans were quick to zero in on Dalton Knecht, and much of the frustration appears to be rooted in how he’s been handled. Ever since his trade to the Charlotte Hornets got rescinded last season, his role has been inconsistent. The result has been a young player struggling to find rhythm or confidence, an outcome that falls squarely on a coaching approach that has failed to maximize the potential of a prospect many Lakers fans viewed as a draft steal. And fans believe this is just one case among many against Redick’s overall ability as a coach.

In the game vs Phoenix, the same defensive concerns came up for the Lakers. The Suns blew the doors open in the third quarter with a 45-point frame, sparked by a 16-4 run out of halftime, with Redick having no answers. Meanwhile, Los Angeles coughed up the ball 17 times, which turned into 24 Suns points.

Redick framed the issue bluntly: the Lakers aren’t healthy, missing Doncic, Rui Hachimura, and Gabe Vincent, and as a result, they’re going to be forced to rely on players who haven’t logged enough shared minutes together during the games to instinctively recognize certain schemes. Redick’s comments reflect a roster still learning how to function under pressure, but fans are clearly not buying it.

JJ Redick’s Comment Opened the Floodgates for Laker Nation Criticism

The backlash didn’t take long. Clips of JJ Redick’s comments quickly went viral, with one group of fans zeroing in on the gap in responsibility. “If only he had a coach to teach him.”

They argued that Redick‘s frustration should’ve been addressed internally, and the failure to identify the basic coverage traces back to preparation.

One reaction focused less on tactics and more on Redick’s tone, with some indicating that his words felt like a deflection instead of taking leadership.

“Keep throwing players under the bus, thats a sure bet to build chemistry jj.”

The comment shows the growing sensitivity around how a less experienced coach like Redick, who is only in his second year as Lakers head coach, deals with accountability, especially on a roster already dealing with instability from injuries.

Others questioned the timing of Redick’s comments, arguing that in-game confusion shouldn’t be discovered and criticized in real time.

“He’s the coach lmfao idk why he didn’t tell the player beforehand.”

Posts like this one highlighted the moment as a breakdown in coaching communication, not a mistake on the player’s part.

A different corner of the discourse took aim at the Lakers coach’s adaptability, indicating that the issue wasn’t knowledge, but in-game flexibility.

“They have a coach who doesn’t know how to adjust in game.”

One moment some fans highlighted was in last season’s playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves, when Redick made no substitutions in the second half of a playoff game, and went with small-ball lineups, which gave up rebounds to Rudy Gobert, leading to a loss in the series.

One post joked about Redick and LeBron James‘ podcast together, where they broke down plays for viewers.

“Told that n—- to watch Mind The Game.”

It was sharp and sarcastic, while serving as a nod to his past as a podcaster, along with the expectations that his new role demands of him.