JJ Redick’s first season as a head coach in the NBA was bittersweet, sure. But no one can say it wasn’t eventful. From the LeBron and Bronny James team-up to the blockbuster Luka Doncic trade, a lot went down this season. Amid all the hubbub, JJ may have missed out on some of the finer details of his job. And a Lakers legend thinks this is where JJ’s staff failed him, as reports of tensions in the locker room gain more credence with each passing day.

See, after the Lakers were bounced from the first round of the NBA Playoffs by the Timberwolves, a lot of fans pointed their fingers at Redick. Many wanted him out after his first season because of this exit, citing his poor use of the bench as a reason. But 8x NBA champion Robert Horry believes JJ’s staff could have done a better job of easing his burden.

“I think a lot of times we look at the head coach and we blame him for some things and we blame the players for things, but I always blame the assistant coaches because assistant coaches need to have the coach’s ear and they see things that the head coach don’t see sometimes and like, ‘Yo, this ain’t working. We need to do this and that.’ And I think that’s the main key,” said the former Lakers star.

And Horry’s assessment may hint at JJ not having the full trust of his staff and his players. After all, his success made a lot of people forget how many perceived JJ when he first took the job — as LeBron James’ podcast partner. See, Redick had many detractors when he first took over the reins at LA, fans, players, and media alike. And their doubts weren’t entirely unfounded. JJ had no coaching experience before taking the Lakers gig. But as the season went on, he slowly but surely silenced those critics, ending the season as the 3rd seed in the cutthroat West despite a huge shakeup to his squad after the Luka Doncic trade.

However, when the postseason arrived, the Lakers began to falter against the Timberwolves. So, it’s possible that these doubts crept back in. And it may have been the ones close to him who fell prey to this skepticism around his abilities. Namely, his assistant coaches. But if the Lakers don’t want another disappointing season despite having two All-NBA players on their roster in LeBron James and Luka Doncic, JJ Redick and his staff will need to work out these issues.

But even if JJ and his staff work things out, the Lakers’ locker room is another beast entirely. It seems Jaxson Hayes was especially unhappy with his reduced role in the postseason. And senior insider Anthony Irwin of Clutch Points recently revealed the turmoil Hayes felt.

Jaxson Hayes reportedly unhappy with JJ Redick’s postseason choices

If you watched the Minnesota-Lakers series in the first round of this year’s Playoffs, you might have noticed something. Jaxson Hayes never played more than 9 minutes in any of the games in that series, missing Game 5 entirely. But, he wasn’t on a minute restriction due to injury. JJ Redick simply chose not to play Hayes, fearing a mismatch against the Minnesota Timberwolves’ big men. 

However, this choice seems to have left Hayes frustrated, according to a report from Clutchpoints’ Anthony Irwin. “He wasn’t thrilled about his role disappearing in the postseason and the money he lost as his minutes dwindled. From the Lakers perspective, they’re weighing Redick losing faith in him, how he might handle them bringing in his replacement or the inevitable demotion he’d be in line for this summer,” revealed the senior insider.

Now, the choice is in JJ Redick and the Lakers’ hands. Keep Hayes, and convince him to accept the diminished role. But they’ll need to throw him a bone and give him minutes wherever possible. Or they could use him to get more size in their roster by trading him for a better center. But given his limited skillset and obvious frustrations, we reckon the Lakers should go with the latter option.

After all, a fragmented locker room will only be a hindrance to the Lakers’ attempts to win a title next season. This means they need to cut their losses and make improvements wherever needed. And it doesn’t matter who it is — a player or a coach!