JJ Redick’s earnest approach leads the Lakers into new era

Lakers coach JJ Redick will be in the spotlight when the season opens Tuesday, his first regular-season game as a head coach at any level. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

For a person who reveres Ernest Hemingway enough that he named his podcast after “The Old Man and the Sea,” rookie Lakers coach JJ Redick should be familiar with one of his favorite author’s mantras.

“The first draft of everything is s—.”

It’s hard to know how much of this Lakers season is a continuation of the draft they filed a year ago — possessions routinely ending in stagnant isolation for LeBron James or Anthony Davis, the Lakers to whom the ball goes. Or, by hiring Redick, perhaps the Lakers have made a significant edit, adding an emphasis on better organization and an increase in three-point shooting.

Redick’s now dormant podcast was named “The Old Man and the Three” after all.

The Lakers begin their new season Tuesday with a mandate for change. A second-straight loss to the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs with just one total win between the series will force that.

Yet change might be hard to come by when the players on the court are largely the same. And change isn’t always for the better, with every day another click on James’ odometer that will, in one of the NBA’s great mysteries, eventually max out.

Read more: Bronny James shines and Quincy Olivari makes a pitch to stay with the Lakers

So what are the actionable things within the team’s control? Can Redick’s philosophies fundamentally change who the Lakers are, unlocking even more out of the most established players?

We’re about to find out.

Same as it ever was

Whenever you talk about a team and its fortunes, you have to start with the team’s ability to stay as close to healthy as possible. Injuries undoubtedly impacted the Lakers’ fortunes last season. Some of Darvin Ham’s lineup inconsistencies and shuffling of starters can be tied to Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura both missing portions of the season early in the year. And Gabe Vincent, the team’s big signing in free agency, never was healthy and didn’t factor in the regular season,…

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Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2024-10-21 11:30:00

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