JJ Redick challenged Austin Reaves for not competing

D’Angelo Russell wasn’t the only Laker called out recently by JJ Redick as Austin Reaves recently revealed he was also called out for his lack of compete.

The Lakers recent lengthy road trip ended with a lot of fanfare not just because they finished 1-4 during the stretch but because of how things concluded in Memphis.

More than just losing to the Grizzlies, the manner in which it played out was notable. D’Angelo Russell’s benching in the second half preceded him being called out by JJ Redick postgame for his “lack of compete.”

While all of the focus after that and through Friday’s game was on Russell, he wasn’t alone in being called out. After the Lakers’ win over the Sixers, Reaves revealed postgame that he and Reddick had a meeting in which he called out his lack of compete as well.

“I met with JJ before film and he challenged me,” Reaves said. “He showed me a couple clips and instances where I wasn’t competing the way I should have. That’s not like me and I want to be coached like that. We have a group that wants to be coached like that. So, when he comes in and, basically, puts it on the screen, you can’t hide from it. I thought everybody took it good today.”

The first question might be “Why did D’Lo get called out publicly and not Reaves as well?” The answer would be that Redick was asked about Russell, not Reaves, after the Grizzlies game. I would imagine that, had he not been asked after the Grizzlies game, Redick would have handled both situations behind closed doors.

The bigger issue, though, is that multiple Lakers guards had “level of compete” issues. That’s probably more reasoning for why Redick made a lineup change that, in the short term, has had benefits.

The Lakers’ roster is flawed and needs mid-season moves to fix areas of it. But you can cover up some of those flaws with effort and energy. Those things are not skill-dependent and should never waver.

Unfortunately, they have wavered this year and it’s refreshing to see a coach actively call them out for that.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.