JJ Redick was employed to vary issues for the Los Angeles Lakers. However he is protecting one large factor the identical.
The brand new Lakers head coach revealed in an interview on ESPN’s “The Lowe Submit” podcast that he shall be beginning the staff’s most-used lineup from final season:
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Anthony Davis
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Rui Hachimura
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LeBron James
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Austin Reaves
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D’Angelo Russell
“Yeah. It will likely be the beginning 5 that went 23-10 final yr,” Redick mentioned.
Though Lakers coaching camp doesn’t begin till subsequent week, Redick clearly believes he already is aware of what is going to work greatest for the staff. Final season, the James-led quintet was used a team-high 388 minutes, per Basketball Reference, and outscored the competitors by 6.8 factors per 100 possessions.
Whereas it is smart to go along with what labored final season, the rationale Redick has this job within the first place is how badly final season went underneath earlier head coach Darvin Ham. The Lakers completed eighth in a aggressive Western Convention with a 47-35 report, however have been unceremoniously bounced by the Denver Nuggets in a first-round gentleman’s sweep.
Redick tried to clarify what shall be totally different with the lineup and staff basically, and it principally boiled all the way down to taking extra pictures within the paint and on the 3-point line, whereas pushing for extra rebounds on offense:
“I feel when it comes to what the offense seems to be like, there shall be a good quantity of motion. The shot profile will hopefully enhance. You realize, we have talked about methods to create extra paint touches. We have talked about methods to shoot extra threes.
“We have talked about among the leeway that you need to give sure gamers with their mid-range pictures, whether or not that is within the publish or isolation. However hopefully the shot profile improved. I feel from a possession standpoint, one of many margins this staff created final yr, and traditionally with this group, has been free throws.
“Exterior of that, there hasn’t been a number of margin creation, so we will attempt to create some margins. One in all which is, we’re actually going to emphasise offensive rebounding, nook crashes.”
Redick does not have many choices past instructing an outdated lineup new tips after a static Lakers offseason through which the staff barely added any significant contributors. The staff was restricted from a cap house standpoint, particularly after Russell picked up his $18.7 million participant choice, and each veteran for whom James was prepared to take a pay minimize to accommodate signed elsewhere. James ended up signing a two-year, $104 million max deal.
The Lakers’ notable additions have been by the draft, with No. 17 choose Dalton Knecht and No. 55 choose Bronny James. Knecht, a 23-year-old sharpshooter from Tennessee, is more likely to see taking part in time this season. Redick indicated the G League would determine closely into the staff’s plans to develop the youthful James into an NBA participant.
Redick additionally had a curious reply when requested about Anthony Davis’ long-term taking pictures woes:
“I’ve a concept round that. I’ve a concept round that. Not one I am prepared to share publicly … And you recognize what, if my concept proves appropriate, I will share it with you later within the season. However I’ve a concept on that.”
The Lakers will get their first probability to indicate their enchancment on Oct. 4 of their preseason opener in opposition to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
