Last season, Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick wanted his players to play like “banshees” on defense. Now, they’ve released one of the most aggressive banshees from last season. The Lakers released Jordan Goodwin to make room for their new point guard, former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart. Last season, Goodwin played 29 games for the Lakers and averaged a steal per game, despite averaging only 18.7 minutes. But the Lakers chose Smart and his veteran pedigree over the ultra-aggressive Goodwin. Dan Woike wrote about Redick’s defensive philosophy in April, after the Lakers held the Minnesota Timberwolves to 85 points in a playoff win. Redick and his coaching staff encourage players to “be a banshee,” a catch-all term he uses to describe playing with aggression, diving for loose balls and prioritizing team success over individual statistics. Specifically, the term refers to yelling, the main characteristic of the banshee from Irish folklore, particularly on defense. Goodwin was the poster child for
