JJ Redick caught himself before the 10th game of his coaching career Sunday night.
The young Lakers coach was about to use an old coaching saying, chuckling at the absurdity of offering a “back in my day” to anyone listening.
“There’s an old saying in coaching, ‘You are what you emphasize,’” he said before the Lakers played the Toronto Raptors. “‘Your team becomes what you emphasize.’”
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Since taking the job, Redick has repeatedly offered his players that advice. Crash the glass. Get back on defense. Stay in rhythm on offense.
And after returning from a 1-4 trip, it’s once again become a focus for the Lakers. But against the Raptors, that version of the Lakers didn’t arrive. At least not on time. They got crushed on the glass. They got beaten in transition. And they stagnated on offense.
Luckily, it happened early in the game.
After a sluggish first quarter, the Lakers started to do the things the coaching staff had been emphasizing, zooming past the Raptors for a 123-103 win to stay undefeated at Crypto.com Arena.
The team fully found its footing midway through the third quarter, LeBron James barreling in transition, Anthony Davis anchoring the defense and Austin Reaves slashing through the paint.
James finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 16 assists, his third triple-double of the season and his second in as many games. Davis scored 22 in 26 minutes and Reaves led the Lakers with 27 while dishing out six assists.
Davis, a huge part of the third-quarter run, made the biggest defensive play of the game when he met Raptors 7-footer Jakob Poeltl in front of the rim, rejecting a one-handed dunk emphatically.
But after the play, Davis fell to the court and writhed in pain, holding his face. Replays showed Poeltl poked Davis in the left eye with his hand.
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Davis didn’t return to the game. After the game, Redick said Davis was having trouble seeing out of his injured eye.
Davis had to leave multiple games last season after being hit in the eye, even missing the following game on one occasion.
Redick said Davis was having trouble seeing after getting hit.
“Obviously, take a little trauma to the eye, it takes a little bit of time to sort of get your clear vision back,” Redick said. “But other than that, no update.”
The Lakers have two days off before hosting Memphis on Wednesday night.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
