NBA insider Brian Windhorst didn’t hold back in his analysis of the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round exit from the 2025 Western Conference playoffs, delivering a scathing critique of head coach JJ Redick’s performance during the series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers fell 103-96 in Game 5 on April 30, 2025, at Target Center, dropping the series 4-1 after splitting the first two games and losing three straight, per NBA.com. Windhorst, speaking on ESPN’s Get Up on May 1, pointed to Redick’s questionable decisions, emotional immaturity, and the team’s roster deficiencies as key factors in the defeat, per Awful Announcing.
Windhorst zeroed in on Redick’s behavior, calling it “immature” and “childish” during the series. He referenced an anecdote from TNT’s Reggie Miller, who, during the Game 5 broadcast, revealed he had to calm Redick down before the game due to the coach’s lingering frustration from the previous loss, per TNT’s live coverage. Windhorst elaborated, saying, “I don’t mean this in a personal way: JJ Redick coached very immaturely in this series. He was still seething and upset about the previous game.” He also criticized Redick for storming out of a pregame press conference after a question about his rotations irritated him, describing the move as unprofessional and a bad look for a head coach, per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.
The most pointed criticism came regarding Redick’s lineup choices. Windhorst called Redick’s decision in Game 4—a 116-113 loss—to play only five players for the entire second half “irrational,” a strategy that left LeBron James (40 years old) and Luka Doncic (coming off an illness) visibly gassed, with James scoreless in the fourth quarter and Doncic scoring just 4 points on 1-for-5 shooting, per ESPN’s box score. Redick doubled down on the approach post-game, a move Windhorst found baffling. In Game 5, Windhorst highlighted another questionable decision: inserting Maxi Kleber, who hadn’t played since January 2025 due to a hamstring injury, over available centers like Christian Wood or Jaxson Hayes, per NBA.com’s injury reports. Kleber, who logged 14 minutes and went 0-for-3, was on the court with five minutes left in a two-possession game, prompting Windhorst to say, “That is not a rational decision.”
Redick, a 15-year NBA veteran turned podcaster, was a bold hire by the Lakers in June 2024, despite lacking any prior coaching experience, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. His podcast with LeBron James, Mind the Game, had showcased his basketball IQ, but his transition to coaching was untested, per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor. Redick exceeded expectations in the regular season, guiding the Lakers to a 49-33 record and the No. 3 seed in the West, per NBA.com. However, his inexperience showed in the playoffs, exacerbated by a roster lacking frontcourt depth after the blockbuster trade that sent Anthony Davis to Dallas for Luka Doncic in February 2025, per Sportskeeda. The trade, while adding Doncic’s 33.9 points and 9.2 assists per game from 2024, left the Lakers thin up front, with only Kleber and Hayes as primary bigs, per Basketball-Reference.
Windhorst’s critique echoes sentiments about Redick’s demeanor from his ESPN days, where he often came across as condescending on morning shows like First Take, despite his deep basketball knowledge, per Awful Announcing. Redick acknowledged his shortcomings after the Game 5 loss, telling The Los Angeles Times’ Broderick Turner, “I know I can be better.” The Lakers’ roster needs significant work this offseason—particularly in the frontcourt, where they were outrebounded 48-36 per game by Minnesota, per NBA.com—but Redick’s growth as a coach may be just as critical. With LeBron James’ future uncertain at 40, and Doncic under contract through 2027, per Spotrac, the Lakers face a pivotal summer to avoid another early exit in 2026. Windhorst’s harsh assessment underscores the steep learning curve Redick faces in translating his analytical prowess into effective leadership on the sideline.
