The Los Angeles Lakers dropped a tough one in Portland on Saturday night, and while the loss itself wasn’t entirely unexpected given the roster situation, head coach JJ Redick made it clear postgame that officiating inconsistencies are becoming a serious concern-not just for the Lakers, but across the league.
Let’s start with the facts: the Lakers allowed the Trail Blazers to shoot 22 free throws in the first quarter alone-an NBA season-high for any team in a single quarter. That’s not just a stat, that’s a siren.
Redick wasn’t pointing fingers or blaming the officials for the outcome, but he didn’t shy away from what he sees as a growing issue. The whistle was constant, the rhythm of the game was choppy, and the lack of clarity from the officiating crew left everyone guessing.
“It’s more about the way the game is called,” Redick said after the game. “They got off to a bad start tonight, and they admitted that to me.
Then, they were just all over the map. Making calls and not actually making a call.
That happened multiple times where we have to go over and go ‘what’s going on?’”
That’s not just frustration talking-it's a head coach trying to get answers in real time and not getting them. Redick emphasized that this isn’t about one game or one crew.
It’s about a broader issue with consistency. He pointed to communication breakdowns with the crew chief and the confusion that followed.
Players didn’t know what was being called, and coaches weren’t getting the clarity they needed to make adjustments.
And that’s the heart of the issue: consistency. Coaches and players aren’t asking for perfection-they’re asking for predictability.
If a certain level of contact is going to be called a foul, it needs to be called the same way across the board. When one referee blows the whistle and another lets the same play go, it creates a chaotic environment where no one knows how to play the game.
The Lakers were already up against it heading into this one. They were without five key players-Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton, Jaxson Hayes, and Adou Thiero-forcing Redick to go small all night long.
Winning on the road under those circumstances is a tall order. But even with that context, the officiating stood out as a major storyline.
Redick’s not alone in this. Around the league, coaches are quietly echoing the same sentiment: the officiating has been inconsistent, and it’s affecting the flow and fairness of the game. Scoring is down, and there’s a growing belief that the way games are being called is part of the reason.
No one’s asking for special treatment. What Redick-and likely many other coaches-wants is for the league to get everyone on the same page.
Clarify the rules. Make sure the officials are aligned.
And most importantly, communicate with the teams during the game so they can adjust accordingly.
Despite the loss, there were a few bright spots for the Lakers. Drew Timme posted a career-high in points, and Redick got a chance to experiment with some new lineup combinations. But beyond that, it was another reminder of how thin the margin for error is when you’re shorthanded and the whistles aren’t going your way.
The Lakers’ problems don’t begin and end with officiating. They’ve got work to do-on both ends of the floor.
They need to be more connected defensively, and the trade deadline looms large for a team that still feels like it’s searching for its identity. But if the foul situation becomes a trend, it’s going to be even harder for this group to find any sort of rhythm.
Redick, in his first season as a head coach, continues to show he’s not afraid to speak up when something’s off. His team didn’t play well enough to win, and he owned that. But he also made it clear that the league has a role to play in cleaning up the game.
If the NBA wants to avoid more nights like this-where the story becomes the officiating instead of the basketball-it’s time to recalibrate. Because when a coach as measured as Redick is raising the alarm, the league would be wise to listen.