JJ Redick and the Lakers aren’t focusing on their schedule amid tough stretch

With the Lakers having a jam-packed schedule for March, head coach JJ Redick understands it’s time to lock in.

While complaining about a team’s NBA schedule can be as useless as whining about the weather, the Lakers are, in fact, in the middle of a brutal stretch of games.

The Lakers have 17 games in March. Even though we are past the midway point of the month, Los Angeles still has three back-to-backs left and stiff competition, such as the Nuggets, Rockets, Grizzlies and Bucks left to play.

If you also factor in that LeBron James and Rui Hachimura are still currently unavailable, a schedule that was supposed to show how good the Lakers can be has turned into a part of the year L.A. just wants to survive.

Before the Lakers played against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, head coach JJ Redick discussed the realities of the situation for the purple and gold.

“It just feels like this time of year we’re packing in a ton of games,” Redick said. “The NFL is over and so, for a team like us, they’re fitting us in all the national TV slots now, which creates Milwaukee-Denver back-to-backs. It’s just part of the NBA and every team goes through it at different points.

“No one’s going to feel sorry for us and we can’t feel sorry for ourselves. You’ve got to play the game in front of you and then move on to the next thing and try to get better. I think as we start getting everybody back, there’ll be a lot of tough parts of the schedule still to go, but we knew these two weeks – last week, starting with the Boston game, through this home stand – was going to be a huge challenge.”

The Lakers having a rough stretch here is not debatable. According to Tankathon, they have the fourth toughest schedule remaining and are tied for the most games left to play with 15 more contests to go.

As Redick has stated, no team will feel bad or go easy on the Lakers. Ultimately, all that matters is how well Los Angeles executes in the games it has left.

All things considered, the Lakers are in a good spot. They are currently fourth in the West and just a game behind the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets. With more games left, the Lakers can gain ground on their Western rivals and ultimately earn a higher seed once the playoffs begin.

Redick has the right mindset regarding this tough stretch, and if he gets buy-in from his players, then the Lakers will win more than they lose the rest of the way.

So far, the evidence indicates that the Lakers are stepping into Redick’s vision and finding success even when surrounded by excuses and challenges.

Los Angeles is currently on a two-game winning streak. With three more home games before they are back on the road, they can still establish dominance in the NBA, even with key players out.

Redick already knows that the cheat code to winning in the NBA is more about working hard than anything else. As long as he continues to demand that effort and the Lakers rise to the occasion, they’ll be just fine.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.