JJ Redick’s Past Behavior Risks Hurting Luka Doncic as Favored Teammate Faces Mounting Scrutiny

The 2025 offseason has been the most happening for the Los Angeles Lakers. Rob Pelinka has gone all-out on rebuilding the team. Waiving players like Trey Jemison and Shake Milton. Signing bigger names like Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton. And, extending Luka Doncic’s contract, handing him a $165 million promise. Most importantly, if you’ve noticed, the Lakers now have a few 5s on the roster. But the question is, will JJ Redick utilize them?

Last season, the Lakers head coach’s universe revolved around Anthony Davis. He barely played in the natural forward position. He became the center. But when LA traded him for Doncic, Redick shifted his strategy. Play small, utilize a center only when needed. Was the tactic handy? It was, until it failed against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs.

JJ Redick’s past season decisions could be troubling for Doncic & Co. if repeated next season

Andy Kamenetzky and Brian Kamenetzky broke JJ Redick’s gameplay on the Locked On Lakers podcast. Andy said, “There is a perception I’ve certainly seen among fans and even some of the people that cover the team that JJ prefers to go small and will always be looking for ways to go small.” Here’s an example; and an interesting one if you will?

“This became magnified during the playoffs as Jaxson Hayes started playing less and Alex Len was never an option for the playoffs,” Kamenetzky pointed out. “Which is why he should have never been on the playoff roster in the first place. Christian Koloko I think should have been there. But if not Koloko, Jemison or whatever.”

While Koloko and Jemison’s names didn’t make it to the hardwood, Jaxson Hayes watched his minutes collapse in the 2025 NBA Playoffs with the Lakers, tumbling from 19.5 in the regular season to just 7.8. The cut came in the clash against the Timberwolves, leaving him restless and questioning his place on the team. Andy Kamenetzky also pointed out the glaring choice that “neither one of them was ever even put on the playoff roster,” which raised plenty of eyebrows.

He doubled down boldy, “JJ was fully aware ‘I am not playing Alex Len unless it’s a matter of I need enough players to legally finish a game.’” To many, that screamed JJ’s reluctance to ever lean on centers. Kamenetzky further urged caution against drawing sweeping conclusions from last season, stressing that what unfolded may not fully define Redick’s coaching blueprint.

He admitted JJ could lean toward smaller lineups. Yet he reminded everyone this tendency is hardly unusual, since many coaches embrace similar strategies. Therefore, JJ’s approach should be seen as flexible rather than locked into one predictable style.

Well, JJ Redick’s history with his big men already tells its own story, from building an entire system around a superstar to suddenly working with far thinner options. Now, that contrast sets the stage for a fresh chapter. Expectations are shifting and the next man in line carries the weight of what came before.

Luka Doncic’s new teammate has all eyes on him

JJ Redick once built his system entirely around Anthony Davis, making him the unquestioned first option and even calling timeouts to demand the ball go to him. After Davis was traded for Luka Doncic, Redick’s drop in center talent.

“So I think Deandre Ayton, if nothing else, represents a more judgable middle ground between Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes as your best center,” Andy Kamenetzky noted.

AD’s absence leaves Deandre Ayton as the middle ground between Davis and Hayes. That shift puts him in the spotlight. His numbers back the role too. Last season, Ayton averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds, a reliable double double presence. His efficiency at nearly 60 percent from the field strengthens his case. Yet every possession will still be measured against the high bar JJ once set for Davis. That leaves Ayton facing growing scrutiny as the so-called favored big.

The Los Angeles Lakers have tossed the script into the fire and are daring everyone to watch what burns brighter. JJ Redick once worshipped his big man, then abandoned the paint for small-ball experiments, and now he stands at another crossroads. Luka Doncic has arrived and is already boosting the head coach. Meanwhile,  Deandre Ayton is caught in the glow of expectation. Every rebound, every shot, every glance at the rim will carry the weight of that history. The question now lingers, will Redick finally unleash his center or keep teasing the floor with another gamble?