JJ Redick Assigns Blame for Lakers' First-Round Loss to Timberwolves in 6-Word Message

The Los Angeles Lakers' season is over and JJ Redick is shouldering a playoff loss from the sideline as a head coach for the first time. 

Redick came under heavy criticism following his team's Game 4 defeat in Minnesota earlier in the week for choosing to play only five players across the entirety of the second half. He also left his pre-game press conference Wednesday in testy fashion after a reporter questioned him about whether he might rely on an assistant coach for substitution decisions in the series-deciding Game 5. 

A more subdued Redick took the podium following the Lakers 103-96 loss to the Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on April 30, leaving the media with a six-word message about his future in L.A., which also sounded like an admission of fault with regards to the team's disappointing first-round exit. 

"JJ Redick ends his final news conference of the season with: 'I can get a lot better," Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported via his X account. 

It didn't help matters any that Lakers superstar guard Luka Doncic suffered a back injury near the end of the first half after taking a hard foul from Donte DiVincenzo of the Timberwolves. 

Doncic was clutching at his lower back as he left the floor at halftime and had a brace of some sort around his waist when he returned to the court for second-half warmups. He was also visibly hobbling while running up and down the floor throughout the second half.