The Lakers have a very devoted fan base. It’s why they’re the best fans in the NBA. It’s why a site like this can even exist.
But for all the positives, there are negatives that come along with it. The
downside of having such a massive fan base is that even normal moments from fans can be overwhelming. Lakers fans are not alone, for example, in overreacting to the first game of the season.
However, there’s a difference between Hornets fans overreacting and Lakers fans overreacting. One of them leads to a small vocal minority and one of them leads to a loud wave of takes that can be overwhelming.
As was the case after the Lakers’ frustrating loss to open the season against the Warriors. A mixture of a disappointing lineup and a team lacking chemistry led to plenty of complaints.
Ahead of Friday’s game against the Wolves, head coach JJ Redick spoke about those loud reactions and whether he or his team hear them during the season.
“I have great respect for fan bases that care,” Redick said. “I’ve already been warned by the NBA. I’m not allowed to use cuss words in here, but I like fan bases that give a —-, that care and so I appreciate it. Got the chance to play in Philly. It’s like an honor to coach this team and be a part of this organization and try to lead this group and represent this fan base.
“I’m well aware that angst exists and there’s an overreaction to everything. I followed and have been in the NBA long enough to know that exists with fan bases that care as much as the Lakers fan base do, but it didn’t change or affect I don’t think me or the group at all in terms of our preparation for this game. We have a really tough stretch coming up over the next week with these 4 games coming up, so we just got to continue to build, continue to work.”
This is both the appropriate approach and an impressive one. It’s not easy to just block everything out, but if there’s a head coach capable of not listening to outside nosie, it’d be Redick.
Not only did he have a long NBA career that included a stop in Philadelphia, who have as maniacal a fan base across all sports as any city, but he also was THE hated guy at Duke. Few players in the history of basketball can relate to the amount of abuse Redick received before even making it to the NBA.
So, as idealistic as it sounds, Redick likely does know how to block out all the noise and keep going about his job. And if he can keep accumulating results as he did on Friday, the overreactions and vocal minorities will stay quiet as well.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
