Lakers coach JJ Redick met with the media on Thursday morning as the team licked its wounds following Wednesday’s disappointing loss to the Timberwolves in Game 5 of their Western Conference playoffs series, marking the second straight year the Lakers have not escaped the postseason’s first round.

There is increased despondency over the team’s failure this time around, though, given that the Lakers made a blockbuster trade in February for star guard Luka Doncic and had managed to earn the No. 3 seed in the playoffs with a strong stretch-run finish.

Thus, a five-game knockout at the hands of Minnesota is a head-scratcher.

But coach JJ Redick held open the possibility that his relationship with Doncic, which began when they were teammates with the Mavericks in 2021, could help bolster the Lakers to new heights in the near future–even to the franchise’s 18th championship.

Apr 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) warms up prior to the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) warms up prior to the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena.

Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

“We both had an immediate bond to each other (in Dallas) despite our age difference. We’ve kept in touch, we’ve spent a little bit of time together … I think that bond that was there gave us a great starting point as player-coach. Our first conversation was that he wants to be coached, he wants to be held accountable,” Redick said, via Spectrum’s Mike Trudell.

He continued: “I want to bring out the best version of Luka. That’s what he wants from me. That’s the partnership going forward. That’s the expectation, the baseline of what we’re trying to do. Let’s try to bring out the best version of Luka and hopefully win a championship doing that.”