Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick offered a clear-eyed look at the emotional challenges NBA players face in the social media era, describing how constant exposure to praise and criticism can swing their confidence from night to night.
“They read every single good and bad thing about them. They’ll feel ‘bad’ if they play poorly and ‘good’ if they play well because of what people will say about them. So getting guys to feel neutral, with some consistency every day is difficult,”
JJ Redick philosophized about the additional requirements of coaching in the age of social media and the differences in the value of each possession in the NBA vs. the NFL at the end of practice today. Worth the 2 1/2 minutes. pic.twitter.com/zJYK6e8r6N
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 9, 2025
Redick said. His point lands at the intersection of performance psychology and daily coaching, where the goal is to build steadiness in a world wired for instant reaction.
Redick’s emphasis on neutrality addresses a persistent feedback loop: players see immediate narratives about their performances, and those narratives can become emotional weather systems that influence the next game, the next practice, even the next possession. In a league where outcomes hinge on narrow margins, a player’s ability to regulate mood and focus becomes a competitive edge. Neutrality, in Redick’s framing, isn’t indifference. It’s a disciplined reset, acknowledging results without letting external voices dictate identity or effort.
Neutrality is difficult because social feeds collapse time and context. A single miss or mistake can feel like a referendum; a hot streak can invite unrealistic expectations. Redick’s challenge is pragmatic: decouple the work from the noise. That means teaching players to value process over reception, to internalize the daily habits, film, reps, recovery, communication, that anchor performance regardless of the online verdict. Neutrality is the bridge between emotional spikes and professional consistency.
The practical coaching task is to redirect attention toward controllables. Redick’s call for “some consistency every day” points to routines that stabilize players: clear roles, predictable prep, honest but measured feedback, and postgame debriefs that prioritize decisions and execution over social reaction. It also implies building locker-room norms that reward resilience and curiosity, asking what can be learned, rather than chasing validation after wins or bracing for condemnation after losses.
Underneath Redick’s message is a reminder that elite athletes absorb more commentary, faster, than any generation before them. The invitation to neutrality recognizes that confidence must be built on sturdy foundations, not trending sentiment. In a season’s grind, the players who can keep an even keel, staying present, trusting their work, and resetting quickly, are better positioned to make good reads, live with outcomes, and improve sustainably.
