JJ Redick’s Lakers rolled into Portland shorthanded, missing both a key playmaker and a defensive stopper. Facing the Trail Blazers on the second night of a back-to-back was already tough, but doing it without Luka Doncic and Jarred Vanderbilt made things even trickier. Coming off a frustrating home loss to the Hornets, the timing couldn’t have been worse.

And now they could even lose their head coach Redick. The referees missed a foul on Trey Jemison during a play against the Trail Blazers. Redick was furious. He argued with the refs and he received a tech. But he did not back down. Nate McMillan, an assistant coach for the Lakers, had to hold his boss back so that he wouldn’t pick up a second technical and get sent to the locker room.

The 40-year-old coach’s behavior prompted a reaction from the broadcast team. “Redick picks up a technical foul. Nate is not only going to complain but hold back JJ, so he doesn’t get number two.”. For picking up a technical foul, the NBA fines $2000 per technical up to 5 instances.

Officials, however, ruled verticality on the play, which only fueled Redick’s frustration. “I mean, JJ’s a very intense guy, but when it comes to lighting the fuse like that, we haven’t really seen it,” the broadcast team pointed out. “Seen a few times as a player. First-year head coach.”

Despite the outburst, the broadcasters acknowledged Redick’s impressive work in his first season at the helm. “Good job he’s doing,” they added. “Lily, no coaching experience, he’ll say. Yeah, I coach my son’s youth team. Still does, by the way, how about that?”. The remark seemed to hint at Redick’s unconventional jump from player to coach with no prior experience at the NBA level. With the officials handing him a $2,000 fine for the tech, the broadcasters appeared to subtly question whether his lack of coaching background played a role in his emotional outburst.

Even analysts like Stephen A. Smith have weighed in, questioning whether he can truly fill the shoes of his predecessor, Darvin Ham.

Stephen A. Smith compares JJ Redick to Darvin Ham

JJ Redick’s first season coaching the Lakers has been solid, but Stephen A. Smith isn’t sold just yet. On First Take Thursday, he pointed out that Redick still has to measure up to Darvin Ham, who led LA to the Western Conference Finals in his first year. “With the job that JJ Redick has done, very meticulous, he’s doing the kind of job I expected him to do. But he’s got shoes to fill. We have to remember that Darvin Ham took this team in his rookie year as head coach to the Western Conference finals,” Smith said.

Sure, Redick’s 31-19 record through 50 games is better than Ham’s 23-27 start, but that’s not the complete story. The Lakers have struggled with defensive consistency, especially with rebounding and rim protection. Those issues were on full display in Wednesday’s loss to the Hornets, where LA couldn’t lock down the paint or control the boards.

Redick’s meticulous approach has gotten results, but Smith’s message is clear—regular-season wins are one thing. Leading this team on a deep playoff run? That’s a different challenge.