Is J.J. Redick up to the task? Can he draw more out of same Lakers roster?

EL SEGUNDO — Dalton Knecht. Bronny James.

That’s it for changes to this season’s Los Angeles Lakers roster, two rookies who may not be part of the regular rotation (Knecht has a chance if he shoots 3s like the Lakers hope and shows he can do more than just that). Essentially, the Lakers are running it back with a roster that won 47 games last season, landed In the play-in, then got unceremoniously bounced in the first round by Denver.

The Lakers are banking on one other change: J.J. Redick as coach.

Lakers management has bet big that Redick — a first-time coach at any professional or college level — is the key to both unlocking this roster and getting the Lakers back to the top of the West, and also building something sustainable to carry them past whenever LeBron James decides to hang up his Nikes.

It’s a huge ask.

Is J.J. Redick up to the task?

WHAT IS DIFFERENT UNDER REDICK?

Former coach Darvin Ham’s name was not mentioned at Lakers media day, but plenty of shade was quietly thrown his way. It came out in the way players praised Redick’s attention to detail.

D’Angelo Russell said he felt like the team was “winging it” last summer but there was far more structure this year.

“I’m not one to compare but it’s been really detail-oriented so far,” Cam Reddish said.

That’s great for summer workouts, but what should Lakers fans expect when the games start?

Far more 3-pointers. It shouldn’t be shocking that one of the best pure shooters of a generation wants his team to launch more 3s. It’s also the right tactical move — Joe Mazzula’s Celtics launched three more 3-pointers a game than any team in the league last season (a league-high 47.1% of their shots), and while it’s not the only reason they had the best offense in the NBA last season it’s part of it.

The Lakers were second-to-last in the league in the percentage of shots taken from 3 (35.8%). If there is one thing players said Redick has preached, it’s taking more 3s.

“Even the Olympics when I [made] a 3, he’d text me ‘That’s what I wanna see,’ things like that,” Lakers center Anthony Davis said. “So for him, it’s definitely gonna be just shooting more…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/j-j-redick-task-draw-170302406.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-10-01 17:03:02

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