JJ Redick Got Extremely Upset With Jaxson Hayes. Here's Why

This season, the Los Angeles Lakers have not gotten off to a great start on the defensive end. It’s no surprise, then, that head coach JJ Redick has an even shorter temper than usual when it comes to major defensive lapses on the part of his players.

During the Sunday night showdown between the Lakers and the Miami Heat, Redick had one such outburst. A viral clip from this game shows the Lakers head coach tearing into big man Jaxson Hayes.

Why was Redick so upset? With 9:40 left in the fourth quarter, the Lakers were in a 2-3 zone and Hayes was supposed to be guarding the paint. As 6-foot-10 Heat forward Nikola Jovic tried to post up Lakers guard Austin Reaves right outside the interior, Hayes decided to creep closer to Jovic. This left a gap in the paint, leading to a lob from Jovic that set up an easy Kel’el Ware basket.

The Lakers called timeout immediately afterwards, and Redick gave Hayes an NSFW earful: “What the f***ing f***? The f*** are you doing?”

To no one’s surprise, Hayes took a seat on the bench after that play. On the Lakers’ next possession, his replacement Jake LaRavia drove straight to the rim and threw down a ferocious dunk.

Though Hayes’ error on the defensive end was egregious, it didn’t cost his team too badly as the Lakers went on to secure the 130-120 victory that night. To his credit, the 7-foot center finished with 15 points, five rebounds, and a +17 on the plus/minus column.

Hayes, however, will have to cut back on his mistakes as the Lakers strive to become a tougher defensive squad. They currently rank 17th in defensive rating, and in terms of limiting opponents’ points in the paint, they’re a middling team as well at 14th.

If the Lakers are to establish themselves as true playoff contenders in the Western Conference, they’ll have to tighten things up on the defense, sooner or later. That includes knowing the do’s and don’ts of zone formations, something that Hayes will perhaps be more mindful of.