The Los Angeles Lakers and JJ Redick’s promising start to the season is rapidly going underwater. The Lakers started the season 3-0 before going 1-3 over their last four games, including Monday night’s disastrous loss to the Detroit Pistons. The 103-115 loss to the Pistons is a low point for the Lakers and HC JJ Redick so far into the season.

Following the loss, the disappointment was visible on the faces of the Lakers players and coaching staff. In the post-game press conference, JJ Redick addressed the mood of the team and the major takeaways from their recent losses.

JJ Redick on the mood with the team after their 1-3 start to their road trip: “We’re all disappointed. We’re all disappointed.”

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) November 5, 2024

Redick described a distraught image in the locker room. After a promising start, the recent troubles have been a cause of concern for the Lakers. Their 1-3 road trip has dropped the team to the 5th seed. As the rookie head coach said in his interview, the defensive end of the floor has caused major issues for the team.

JJ Redick on his biggest takeaway from tonight’s loss to Detroit: “We need to start the game with a little more pride defensively.”

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) November 5, 2024

With Anthony Davis anchoring the defense, defensive issues may seem like an oxymoron. However, the backcourt of the Lakers has constantly been pressured by opposing guards and wings. The Pistons backcourt of Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham portrayed this perfectly, combining for 37 points and 15 assists between them.

What adjustments can JJ Redick make to improve Lakers?

The Los Angeles Lakers and JJ Redick need to start making some tough decisions soon. They may not need to hit the red button yet, but concerns about the team’s losses are starting to spread rapidly. One of their major issues stems from the defensive end of the floor. Across seven games, the Lakers have a defensive rating of 117.4, which would rank them near the bottom of the league.

The Lakers have always created their identity as one of the top teams in the league through the defensive end of the floor. During their 2020 championship run, the team put up a historically great defense, led by Anthony Davis. As Davis continues to have MVP-level numbers (so far), it i

For starters, the team greatly misses the dominant defensive presence of Jared Vanderbilt. The defensive stud has been out for nearly a year due to a foot injury. The return of Vanderbilt will go a long way in providing more defensive versatility to Redick’s squad.

In the meantime, the Lakers will need greater buy-in from their guards to stay afloat in the cut-throat Western Conference.