Preseason stats may not officially count, but the impressions they leave are telling. The LA Lakers’ back-to-back losses have raised questions about their overreliance on star players. While missing LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves played a role, it wasn’t the only factor. Forward Rui Hachimura’s performance drew criticism, yet many believe he cannot be blamed. Rui’s limitations stem from external factors beyond his control, and the struggles exposed in these games reflect broader team issues rather than any individual shortcoming.

While chatting with Raj Chipalu on the Lakers Lounge podcast, Lakers Insider Anthony Irwin came down heavily on the Lakers roster after the first two preseason games. “So I’m not, I still want to be fair in some of these asks, but I do think there are like, Rui (Hachimura) tonight, I didn’t really enjoy. I thought he looked pretty good in the first game. I thought he looked pretty bad tonight. And it’s an effort thing,” Irwin stated. But Irwin wasn’t pinning it alone on the young Laker.

“And this is at a time, Raj, where, like, at least theoretically, he should be trying to solidify himself as the pit starter. You know? Even though it’s probably a decision that’s mostly made already, well, we should be trying to make the decision if it is indeed made, look like a good one,” he further pointed out. In all likelihood, the Purple & Gold’s new addition and former Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart, might have already displaced Hachimura from the starting five.

Despite what Redick promises to play in the regular season, Irwin wasn’t impressed with how the Lakers have played in the two preseason games: “I’ve seen a lot of loafing in the first couple of games where guys aren’t really going very hard and not exactly flying all over the place in the ways that you would expect a championship-conditioned team to. Be able to fly around there or at least, like flying around requires a level of athleticism and this team is athleticism-deficient.”

But even Irwin knows that by calling out Hachimura’s effort, he’s probably being too harsh. The 27-year-old scored only 4 points and 3 rebounds in 19 minutes of action, while going 2-of-4 from the field, but even if he plays well in preseason, JJ Redick has already made up his mind about whom he wants to start in the regular season. It seems like the Los Angeles head coach is all set to start with LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart, and DeAndre Ayton.

So, no matter how hard Rui Hachimura tries, it might not even make a dent in JJ Redick’s mind. Nonetheless, while the Lakers boss might not be willing to change his starting five for the upcoming season, he might have to change his plans for the preseason, as he seems to be running out of excuses after his second straight defeat.

JJ Redick gets called out by an Insider for his excuses after L.A.’s latest defeat

There’s no doubt that the Los Angeles Lakers looked nowhere near their best on Sunday night. However, their poor start in the preseason isn’t just because of the team’s lack of effort alone. Even the head coach, JJ Redick’s unusual decision-making is to be blamed. The Lakers’ HC pointed out after their first defeat against Phoenix how the Suns got a head start with their preseason preparations, but still, he isn’t allowing LeBron James to practice with the rest of the team.

Anthony Irwin called out Redick for the same while assessing the Lakers’ first two preseason games. “All right, so I guess it is worth pointing out that the Suns did literally have a few more practice days because they’re going abroad. So, JJ pointed out after the game how the Suns were able to get to different things because they actually had those things in place. Sure.. It’s hard for me to hear that excuse and really care much about it when, like, you’re just letting LeBron not practice with the guys,” he said.

The Insider further went on to remind that Redick is the same guy who has been emphasizing conditioning a lot, but doesn’t seem to follow through on it. Well, that makes a valid argument from Irwin, as the Lakers’ approach to the preseason doesn’t look anywhere near a championship contention side. One can understand the logic behind resting Luka Doncic, after the grueling summer he’s had, but resting players like LeBron James doesn’t make much sense.

Also, Redick has used players in the preseason who might not even get to see another time once the regular season tips off later this month. Now, will these back-to-back defeats prompt JJ Redick to switch up his tactics and use his superstars in the preseason? Well, that’s still up in the air. Either way, it will be interesting to see what the Lakers’ head coach pulls off once we enter the regular season.