“Hit In The Face”: Lack of clarity on Lakers Rookie’s injury puts JJ Redick & Co in further trouble

JJ Redick has some explaining to do.

Technically, he did – just not to our satisfaction. Dalton Knecht got the nod to start tonight with Lakers star Anthony Davis out. With his former Volunteers coach Rick Barnes looking on, the pick put the No. 17 together a solid performance. However, Knecht’s run ended abruptly in the fourth quarter when he took an elbow to the jaw from Jake LaRavia, forcing him to leave the game and go to the locker room.

Dave McMenamin confirmed that he would not be returning. Not that it would have made much of a difference as the Purple & Gold were already behind by double digits with only a few minutes left on the clock. The ESPN veteran further provided the update that the 23-year-old “didn’t require any postgame X-rays on his jaw,” either.

It was a relief! Still, someone more familiar with Dalton’s situation might have a better understanding of his condition, right? With that goal, Coach Redick was contacted, only to be disappointed.

“The seemed like he was in some pain,” stated the Lakers coach. “I think he was hit in the face. I am not really sure. I can’t give you an answer to that.”

It’s certainly not ideal, especially given the leadership LeBron James showed in the absence of AD and Rui Hachimura. Despite his game-high 39 points and Ja Morant leaving in the third quarter with a right hamstring injury, Los Angeles found themselves soundly beaten by the Grizzlies.

And now with JJ Redick’s seemingly relaxed nonchalance about the condition of one of their up-and-coming players, it doesn’t look like things are looking up for the Lakers’ new coach.

An additional factor here was his decision regarding D’Angelo Russell.

JJ Redick clarifies there is no deeper meaning behind his D’Angelo Russell decision

An interesting arrangement when the Lakers faced the Memphis Grizzlies tonight was benching D’Lo for the final 17 minutes. According to Jovan Buha, “he only played 22 minutes, the lowest of the starters.” Needless to say, the reactions flew in, from many slamming Russell for his underwhelming performance to a few others wondering if JJ’s grip on the locker room has weakened.

But what did the Duke alum have to say about his decision to do so? “It wasn’t like a penalty. I just felt like you know we have a chance to win this game, that’s the way we wanted to go.” he clarified after the match.

The Lakers coach pointed out a few more details that the rich $60 million star should focus on. JJ noticed how D’Angelo was feeling “level of competition” and “attention to detail” were areas he has shown improvement. But the problem was that it was not consistent. More specifically at times “it’s just getting back into certain habits.”

D’Lo finished the night with 12 points, three assists and one rebound while struggling to shoot, going 4-of-12 from the field and 2-of-9 from downtown.

Despite a hot start to the season, questions are mounting about Redick’s handling of the roster as the Lakers coach comes under early scrutiny. From his response to Knecht’s injury to the bold stance on D’Angelo Russell, JJ has made it clear that he has a no-nonsense approach. Only time will tell if Redick’s tough calls will produce the discipline and results the Purple & Gold need.