December 25 didn’t end on a good note for LA. The Los Angeles Lakers stumbled to a 96-119 blowout loss against the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day. A jam-packed Crypto.com Arena watched as the home team fell apart. LeBron James walked off without exchanging handshakes, while head coach JJ Redick fumed at the end of the game. However, Redick’s reaction only brought him more criticism as fans dug up the past.

Two years ago, when JJ Redick was an NBA analyst for ESPN, he didn’t mince words while calling out Doc Rivers. Redick criticized the veteran coach for a long-standing pattern of excuses, deflecting blame onto players, lacking accountability after losses, and selectively taking credit for successes like the James Harden Clippers trade, despite circumstances clearly favoring his teams. “There’s just no, there’s never accountability with that guy. Well, there’s never accountability,” he said.

Sitting in 2025, the whole “accountability” allegation has come back to bite the 41-year-old Lakers HC. Sharing clips from Redick’s rant from 2023, fans have flooded social media with a common message: “Literal Hypocrite.”

Had it been just one person thinking that way, things would’ve been different. Instead, many fans believe that whatever JJ said in the past contradicts his current situation. Besides, Redick’s angry outburst at the end of Thursday’s game just added to the trouble.

JJ Redick is in murky waters after the Lakers lost to the Rockets

A fan sarcastically said JJ Redick’s stance from the past is correct. Because, “if last night was a scheme issue, then he could have taken ownership, but it was clearly an effort problem which lies with the athletes.” After the Christmas Day clash, Redick hinted at a worrying lack of urgency. However, on ESPN Get Up, Kendrick Perkins flipped the blame, accusing the coach of deflecting responsibility. “It’s always somebody else’s fault.” Body language, complaints, and effort, Perk argued, mirror coaching.

“Life comes at you fast, JJ,” someone wrote. Los Angeles looked scattered, careless, and passive, coughing up possessions early while Houston feasted efficiently and dominated physically. Rebounding tilted the night. Key players like Luka Doncic and LeBron James were ineffective. However, fans find it amusing that in the Lakers’ loss, the head coach is bypassing accountability for which he once blasted Coach Rivers.

Meanwhile, another fan commented: “JJ Redick following the steps of his favorite Coach, sad to see.” Well, looks like it, if you go by JJ’s words! However, the Lakers’ head coach hasn’t really walked away from calling out his players when their lack of effort seemed evident. Even on Thursday, he said, “We don’t care enough…We don’t care enough to be a professional.”

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In his defense, the 41-year-old had already forewarned his boys that the matchup against the Houston Rockets was going to be uncomfortable. They are the best rebounding team in the NBA, and the Purple & Gold had to find a way to struggle less. But that wasn’t the case. Meanwhile, someone criticized, “So basically Doc and JJ are the same person 😂”

Lastly, a fan wrote: “F–k me, JJ has aged badly during his Lakers job.” Postgame, Redick distilled the collapse bluntly, stressing “effort” and “execution,” admitting excellence brings success, absence brings disaster, and this outing unraveled immediately.

Christmas came off as more than a game. It exposed a mirror JJ Redick once held for others. As frustration spilled and fans replayed old words, accountability became the loudest echo. Meanwhile, Houston outworked and outmuscled Los Angeles, validating every warning ignored. Therefore, effort, leadership, and credibility now sit under the brightest spotlight. As the season moves on, the scrutiny stays too.