With five players already ruled out against the Oklahoma City Thunder, JJ Redick decided to sit out Jarred Vanderbilt in the middle of the game. This decision didn’t please the eight-year veteran, who usually plays as a peacekeeper. But on Tuesday night, the 27-year-old erupted and had a heated verbal exchange. However, the head coach played it down.
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“Just a confluence of things,” Redick continued during the post-game conference. “Again, it’s, you know, not, again, nothing personal with him, normal stuff from my end. I think for all of us, you know, being undermanned, and we’ve got to scrap and claw. We’ve got to be on the same page; we’ve got to be great teammates. We’ve got to all play hard. But again, normal interaction for me.”
When asked again about the reason for subbing out Vanderbilt, JJ Redick repeated “confluence of things.” While the head coach did not provide the exact reasoning, the performance on the hardwood from Vando gave it away. With 0.9 seconds left in the first quarter, the Lakers had a chance to cut the game to four points. Vanderbilt went to the free-throw line for three shots and missed all three as the Lakers were trailing 34-27. And that was the beginning.
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Dec 7, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick looks on during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Then, 16 seconds into the second frame, JJ Redick called for a timeout, and he decided to specifically sub out Vanderbilt from the game. The broadcast caught the two bickering on the sidelines as assistant coaches stepped in, and Jake LaRavia intervened to take Vando away from the scene. That was the end of the night for the 27-year-old. He put up three points and two rebounds in five minutes. But that was not the end of his frustrations.
At halftime, the Lakers fell behind the defending champions by 18 points, and Vanderbilt was once again arguing on the hardwood as JJ Redick was drawing up plays. Again, Vando had to be separated, and this time Austin Reaves and Lakers assistant Nate McMillan did the job.
It is a bit shocking to see Jarred Vanderbilt lose his calm when it was he who stopped and held back Luka Doncic when he had a similar confrontation with the head coach a few weeks ago. What was more surprising was that the second-year coach put his entire team on notice.
JJ Redick was unhappy with the team, as major stars were missing
Before the game, the head coach was already upset with the team’s defensive display against the Mavericks. With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves sidelined for weeks, Marcus Smart has missed the past eight games, and against the Thunder, LeBron James was ruled out because of a left foot issue. Similarly, Jaxson Hayes did not suit up due to soreness in his left foot. The Lakers are clearly short-handed, but JJ Redick wants the team to step up. Against the Thunder, it did not materialize.
Apart from calling out Jarred Vanderbilt, the head coach spoke about Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton. Hachimura was a starter but did not play in the fourth quarter.
“Just called the early timeout because Rui didn’t do his job, so took him out of the game,” said Redick. “For Ayton, the issue stemmed from the previous day’s practice. He’s just had trouble catching the ball. He just—he hasn’t been able to catch the ball.”
The major takeaway from the conference was JJ Redick’s message of being uncertain about which players will earn their spot during the playoffs.
“We have to find nine guys that are all in on us fighting and willing to go out. It’s a great opportunity for us over the next three games to find those guys,” he added.
Clearly, Vanderbilt, Hachimura, and Ayton have to prove in order to earn their place.
Written by
Edited by
Deepali Verma