JJ Redick Says Lakers Have to Get in 'Championship Shape' After NBA Playoffs Exit

The Los Angeles Lakers will have a long offseason after they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Which means they will have plenty of time to get in better shape.

"We have to get in championship shape," head coach JJ Redick told reporters Thursday. Redick did note that some players were in "phenomenal" shape despite stressing the need for the collective to improve their conditioning.

The Lakers' fourth-quarter struggles were a major talking point during their loss to the Timberwolves, and players improving their conditioning would help them take strides in that area in 2025-26.

Redick didn't make a single substitution in the second half of his team's Game 4 loss and became the first head coach to use the same five players for a full half of a postseason contest since such statistics were tracked starting in 1998.

That proved to be problematic, as the Purple and Gold were outscored 32-19 and shot 5-of-18 from the field in that fourth quarter.

Legs might have been a carryover issue in Wednesday's Game 5, as Minnesota held the Purple and Gold to an ugly 16 points in the fourth quarter when their season was on the line. Los Angeles still only lost the game by seven in part because the Timberwolves also struggled on the offensive end.

Minnesota shot 7-of-47 (14.9 percent) from deep but still managed to win.

The fourth-quarter issues were surely on the forefront of Redick's mind when he was talking about the need to improve conditioning Thursday, but it was also a topic of conversation surrounding Luka Dončić after the Dallas Mavericks traded him to the Lakers earlier this season.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported in February there was "significant frustration within the organization about Dončić's lack of discipline regarding his diet and conditioning, which team sources considered a major factor in his injury issues.

"Though Dončić was relatively lean by his standards when he reported to camp, his weight ballooned to the high 260s early this season, sources said," McMenamin wrote. "He sat out five games in late November, when the Mavericks listed him with a sprained right wrist, an extended absence to allow Dončić to focus on his conditioning. He had a similar early-season layoff in the 2022-23 season."

Redick didn't mention Dončić by name, but it wouldn't be surprising if the five-time All-Star was someone the head coach was thinking about when he made those comments.