Lakers coach JJ Redick cites private conversation as team wins again

Josh Peter, USA TODAYWed, April 22, 2026 at 11:37 AM UTC

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At times it was almost easy to forget Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were sitting on the Los Angeles Lakers bench Tuesday, April 21.

The Lakers did it again, beating the Houston Rockets, 101-94, and taking a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series with their two top scorers sidelined with injuries.

LeBron James was the brute. Luke Kennard was the sharpshooter. And Marcus Smart the emotional leader, welcoming floor burns, throwing his 6-3 body at 6-11 Kevin Durant, doing whatever was necessary.

Smart's impact was easy to discern. What was impossible to witness is a conversation Lakers coach JJ Redick said he had with Smart.

Redick brought it up after the game. He said the conversation took place earlier this month. After the Lakers lost three straight games, including two shellackings against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"I'm not going to share (with) you the details," Redick said during a postgame press conference at Crypto.com Arena, "but the biggest thing was just, because he has the voice he has, he can help create the belief and the confidence in our group. And I think he's done that."

Said Smart, "I think I was living for this moment."

1 / 0NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energyMoondog performs during the first quarter of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena.

It was scintillating, as Smart finished with 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 5-for-7 from 3-point range, seven assists and five steals. He also played his signature physical defense. He also made key contributions in Game 1 with 15 points, eight assists and two blocks.

And since that conversation between Redick and Smart? The Lakers are 5-0.

Very favorable analytics

After nine stellar years with the Celtics, Boston shocked Smart by trading him to Memphis before the 2023-24 season. Less than two seasons later, Smart was packing yet again, this time traded to the lowly Washington Wizards.

He was humbled again after the 2024-2025 season when Wizards bought Smart out of his contract.

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In the offseason, the Lakers signed Smart to a two-year deal even though injuries had limited him to 54 games the previous two seasons.

"It's easy to sort of write somebody off as being older and not being as good," Redick said. "But all the analytics defensively, the analytics as a secondary playmaker, they all were very favorable. So we felt really comfortable bringing him on board."

Said Smart, "…I could have been out the league, right? Injuries and things like that. So to be able to be back on this stage again, making the plays that I'm making with these guys, with this team, this organization, I'm just grateful."

Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart (36) and Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) chase down a loose ball in the first half of Game 2 of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.

This season he has played in 64 games and reasserted himself as a team leader. He finished the regular season sixth among the Lakers in scoring with 9.3 points per game, fourth in assists with 3.0 per game, second in steals with 1.4 per game. He also is sixth in minutes played with 28.5 per game.

And as of April 2, he ranked second in the league with 20 charges drawn, according to a story published by NBA.com.

In the first two games in the Lakers’ first-round playoff series, Smart showed he can fill up box scores. He has combined for 40 points, 15 assists, six steals and three blocks in the team’s two victories.

Marcus Smart's full impact

But Lakers forward Rui Hachimura said the box scores do not reflect Smart’s full impact.

"… I think he get us going as a team, especially in the start of the game," said Hachimura, who later added, "He make all the big plays that doesn't show on the stats, too."

Smart said everything has been heightened with Doncic and Reaves out and the Lakers in need of players who can help fill the void.

"And my whole life, I've been that guy that you can just throw in certain spots whenever you need," Smart said, calling himself a Swiss Army knife. "That's me filling in the gaps, whatever we need, whenever we need it."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JJ Redick cites private talk with Marcus Smart as Lakers win again

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