The Lakers are entering the first year of their new era built around the high-scoring guard combination of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. However, head coach JJ Redick is currently more interested in how the two crafty scorers look apart than together, Law Murray writes for The Athletic.
With so many rotation changes from last season to this one, Redick and the Lakers are still figuring out how to best use the players on the roster.
“We have really just focused on our early offense and being able to play out of things other than drag,” Redick said. “We haven’t put our offensive groups together, to be honest with you. … And so, the new personnel, all that stuff, it’s really just about the early offensive organization than it is about manipulating matchups and finding what works and finding what combinations work. We have time to do that.”
Despite the changes, Reaves has a sense of where the team will find its footing offensively.
“I would expect us to (have a higher percentage of) possessions that we touch the paint,” Redick said. “I would expect us to be a higher volume 3-point shooting team. And I would expect us to be a better offensive rebounding team. How all of that (translates) into our offensive rating, we’ll figure that out. We’ll figure out ways to get good shots.”
We have more from the Lakers:
- The Lakers’ preseason kicks off on Monday, but they are without several key contributors, notes The Athletic’s Dan Woike (Twitter link). Walker Kessler was held out after jamming his finger on the backboard, per Khobi Price of The California Post (via Twitter), while Reaves sat out due to a tweaked ankle. Collin Sexton and Arthur Kaluma also missed the game, though Redick described all of the injuries as minor. Sexton had previously been seen with his right calf wrapped during shootaround, Price writes and got extra work with the strength and conditioning staff after practice.
- Second-year forward Adou Thiero sees the roster changes and his healthy offseason as a chance to carve out a role for himself, Price writes in a separate piece. “I feel like I have a pretty great opportunity in front of me considering the guys that aren’t here anymore,” Thiero said. “And now everybody’s still trying to figure out where to be at. So that gives me an opportunity to (earn a spot in the rotation).” Redick has been vocal about Thiero’s “unbelievable last two months of development,” noting that the athletic wing maximizing his talent could be something of an x-factor for the team. “If we can develop Adou and develop (rookie Cameron Carr) and develop these guys into functional rotation NBA players over the next 12 to 24 months, it changes our ceiling,” Redick said.
- With fans getting their first look at the new-look Lakers, Woike outlines five things to watch for during preseason (subscriber link). Among those are: how the Lakers look with and without Kessler on the court, how perimeter defenders like Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Bronny James, Quentin Grimesand Sexton can disrupt opposing ball-handlers, and who falls out of the rotation and into the danger zone of being cut, as L.A. has to shed at least one guaranteed contract before the season starts.