JJ Redick gives honest reaction to the challenge of fitting Luka Doncic in Los Angeles Lakers' offense: “I’m excited”

Luka Doncic’s start with the Los Angeles Lakers hasn’t lived up to the hype, but head coachJJ Redick recently shared that he is determined to make it work. The Lakers are struggling as they have lost their second straight game including their latest 100-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com Arena.
The defeat followed a tough pre-All-Star break loss to the Utah Jazz. Doncic is seemingly still in his adjusting period. But the concern over the team’s struggle has grabbed the attention of fans as Doncic’s presence is not showing what they have expected from the trade.

Charlotte Hornets vs Los Angeles Lakers matchup on February 19 has exposed Luka Doncic’s ongoing adjustment struggles. He finished the game adding just 14 points on 5-for-18 shooting, including 1-for-9 from deep.
JJ Redick acknowledged the team’s offensive issues. “I think we played, I don’t even know, 39 to 44 minutes of pretty poor offense,” JJ Redick admitted postgame. “And some of that’s to be expected. Some of it was sloppiness, some of it was poor spacing, some of it was poor execution,” he continued. “The reason I’m not going to read too much into that is because I think our guys competed tonight and they played extremely hard,” the Lakers coach added.
Despite their offensive struggles, Redick has been quite optimistic as he shared that the team played with effort and intensity. However, the Lakers’ lack of cohesion was evident, especially in late-game execution.
Doncic’s early struggles with the Lakers have been the talk of the town since his arrival. Over three games, he is averaging just 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists— well below his usual stats.
“Sometimes when the group is trying to get acclimated with each other, you try to play the right way too much and turn down shots,” Redick said. “I think the flow of everything is gonna happen. I’m excited, this is a new problem to solve and we’ll work our butts off to solve it.”
Charlotte repeatedly targeted Doncic on defense, and with the Lakers still figuring out their rotations, the Hornets took full advantage. LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges found open ways to the basket to secure the victory against the home team.
LeBron James did his best to keep the Lakers in the game, scoring 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter. Nick Smith Jr. hit a clutch three-pointer with 48 seconds left, giving the Hornets the lead.
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The Lakers have now dropped to 1-2 since acquiring Doncic which is a prominent contrast to their 9-1 stretch before his arrival. Certainly, Redick is looking to find the right balance with his new-look roster, but time is ticking as the Western Conference playoff race is on the air.
For now, the Lakers will look to regroup and refine their offensive execution as they push toward the postseason. Doncic still adjusting and Redick searching for answers.