Kendrick Perkins has criticized JJ Redick for planting doubt in the mind of Jaxson Hayes.
Jaxson Hayes has had a nightmare playoff series for the LA Lakers, losing the trust of head coach JJ Redick.
Hayes was pulled out of Game 4 against the Timberwolves after playing only four minutes in the loss.
Redick did not make a single change to the rotation in the second half, a remarkable snub to the rest of the roster.
No player felt this more than Hayes, and speaking ahead of Game 5, Redick simply stated that his starters were ‘TBD’, to be determined.
Impact on Jaxson Hayes
Speaking to ESPN LA, Kendrick Perkins has warned that JJ Redick’s decision could have an impact on Jaxson Hayes for the remaining games.
Perkins warned: “Once you feel like your coach has lost confidence in you, it’s hard to get it back.
“You have to have a different type of mentality to stay engaged, and everybody has this saying, ‘stay ready, stay ready’, it’s easier said than done.”
He compared the situation to Jonathan Kuminga’s problems on the Golden State Warriors, where he was a DNP three straight games, and then when called upon, he played poorly upon his first game back.
Perkins went on: “We watching that in Golden State with Jonathan Kuminga. Steve Kerr all of a sudden Jimmy Butler went out in Game 2, he calls Kuminga, Kuminga just wasn’t there, mentally, it’s hard man.
“I know people like ‘stay ready’, if you’re Jaxson Hayes, you want to go into the starting line-up knowing that your coach actually believes in you, not to have doubts.
“If he has doubts, it makes you have doubts.”