Redick spoke on LA's challenge of needing to balance two of their main goals in the series against the Houston Rockets.
Everyone knows what the Los Angeles Lakers are walking into. The question right now isn't whether the situation is difficult. It's whether this group can hold together long enough to make it matter.
Luka Doncic is treating a hamstring strain and is unlikely to play in Game 1. Austin Reaves, dealing with an oblique injury, is expected to miss the entire first round. The Lakers finished 53-29, and now prepare to face a Houston Rockets team that finished 52-30 without two of their three best players.
JJ Redick has been in front of this situation for weeks. He's talked about resiliency and not letting go of the rope. He's acknowledged openly that the rest of the Western Conference wants to see this matchup.
But after the regular season finale against Utah, when he was asked about the challenge of keeping the series competitive long enough for Doncic and Reaves to potentially return, Redick kept it about as simple as it gets.
Apr 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California; Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) shoots the ball against Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesRedick Isn't Hiding From the Reality
"It's the task at hand," Redick said. "We've got Game 1 ... With the group that we have. And figuring out the best way to put ourselves in a position to win Game 1." That's the whole philosophy distilled down to one sentence. Just simply taking care of business.
To his credit, Redick hasn't spent any energy pretending this isn't hard. He acknowledged earlier this week that he's sure everyone wants to draw the Lakers in the first round.
He's said repeatedly that there's no easy matchup in the West regardless of seeding, and that the team spent the last six weeks building mental and physical habits specifically for this moment. But he's also been clear about what the winning formula looks like with a shorthanded roster.
Take care of the basketball, box out, and don't give Houston second-chance opportunities. The Rockets average nearly 48 rebounds a game, and the Lakers can't afford to compound their offensive limitations with sloppy defense.
The Group They Have Is Going to Have to Be Enough
LeBron James at 41 years old will be the primary option. Marcus Smart, who returned from a nine-game absence with a right ankle contusion and led the entire roster in plus-minus this season, will be asked to carry the playmaking load alongside him.
Jake LaRavia, one of 18 players in the entire NBA to appear in all 82 games this season, gives Redick dependable depth on both ends. It's not the roster they drew up. But Redick has made one thing clear throughout all of it: this team isn't going to fold under the weight of expectations or the injury report.
"Resiliency," Redick said. "The playoffs to me are all about resiliency. The team that is unwilling to let go of the rope for the longest amount of time, that's ultimately the team that wins the series." Game 1 tips off Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, and that's all that matters right now.