JJ Redick Gets Honest About Lakers' Preseason Loss to Phoenix Suns

The Lakers suffered a blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns in their preseason opener.

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick gestures during the first half against the Phoenix Suns at Acrisure Arena.

Imge Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers kicked off their 2025-26 NBA preseason on a disappointing note. The 17-time champions, studded with several stars including the likes of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves, suffered a 103-81 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Heading into a brand new season with multiple additions such as Deandre Ayton, Marc us S mart, and Jake LaRavia, the Lakers were expecting a powerful start to the campaign.

However, their hopes shattered when a Devin Booker-led side defeated them in blowout fashion. In the post-game conference, head coach JJ Redick opened up on the loss, and said that while he wasn’t expecting a perfect start, this kind of loss wasn’t something he had hoped for. “I’m not expecting perfection in a preseason game, but there’s room for growth in some areas,” Redick said.

“This is not an excuse. They (the Suns) had 19 guys in the gym all of September, they did their installs similar to how we did last year in September. They were able to get a lot of their installs in, and they had seven practices. They’re ahead of us from that perspective. They have more stuff in.”

The Lakers were without their superstars LeBron James and Luka Doncic as they locked horns with the Suns. While James won’t step on to play preseason games due to nerve irritation in the glute, Doncic has been rested. It was clearly visible that the Lakers were not confident without their star players. The Suns capitalized on their absence and recorded a win after Booker led the charge with 24 points.

JJ Redick Heaps Praise on Bronny James Despite Poor Performance

JJ Redick, who recently signed a contract extension with the Lakers, had good words for sophomore Bronny James. James Jr. who finished his debut season with an average of 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists, was hoping for a good start to his new season. However, he finished the preseason opener with eight points, five rebounds, and two assists.

Nevertheless, head coach Redick had only positive words for him. During the post-game presser, he heaped praise on the 20-year-old and said that he has become more confident and comfortable. Redick also went on to say that overall he has improved, and is now a different player altogether than what he was a year ago.

“He is so much more comfortable and confident as a player,” Redick said of Bronny. “Skill-wise, read-wise, all of those things have improved, but there’s a big difference between improving those things in individual workouts and small group settings, and doing it 5-on-5.” He added, “He’s a totally different player than he was a year ago. I thought the stuff that he did down in the G League last year was huge for him in developing a comfort level in playing at this level.”

The Lakers will now be up against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, October 5.

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.

JJ Redick Gets Honest About Lakers’ Preseason Loss to Phoenix Suns

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