Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick believes his team has established a more physical defensive identity during the opening days of training camp while also preparing to adjust its offense around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Redick said the intensity of the first two practices was so high that the coaching staff had to modify the final portion of the second session.
“It was great. I mean, we actually had to modify the latter third of practice because these guys were just giving great effort and physicality,” Redick said. “So we cut a couple things, but it was wonderful.”
Redick specifically praised the Lakers’ wings for their work on defense. He said the team has emphasized establishing a “line of confrontation” by picking up the ball earlier, disrupting opponents and making them work against the shot clock.
“I think our physicality off the ball has been really good,” Redick said. “Guys, they gave great effort, but it’s the entire group of wings. Anybody that’s been out there has been really good.”
Redick also highlighted Ziaire Williams, saying his defense has stood out since the Lakers watched him during pickup games in September.
“He’s a pest, he’s disruptive, he’s got great length,” Redick said. “You combine that with the length and the instincts, and he’s got just a solid base defensively.”
Williams has also knocked down shots, crashed the offensive glass and finished an athletic dunk during the first two days of camp.
The Lakers have added several defensive-minded players this offseason, including Matisse Thybulle and Kevon Looney, while acquiring Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade. Redick said Kessler and Looney will have important responsibilities as the defensive anchors behind the Lakers’ aggressive wings.
“The biggest thing for both Loon and Walker is, like, taking ownership of the defense,” Redick said.
Offensively, Redick is preparing to make changes after the Lakers ranked among the NBA’s top offenses last season. He said the early emphasis has been on organizing the team’s transition and early offense rather than immediately building around specific player combinations.
“We have really just focused on our early offense and being able to play out of things other than drag,” Redick said.
The coach noted that the Lakers ranked first in the NBA in expected points per shot last season and were also high in shot quality. However, he expects the new roster to produce a different offensive profile.
“I would expect us to be a better paint touch team in terms of percentage of possessions that we touch the paint,” Redick said. “I would expect us to be a higher volume 3-point shooting team. I would expect us to be a better offensive rebounding team.”
Redick also expects Doncic and Reaves to spend significant time together during the season, although the two have deliberately been kept on separate groups during the first days of camp to distribute offensive creation.
“My expectation probably at this point … is that in general those guys will stagger and we’ll have one of those guys on the court,” Redick said.
Reaves averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 51 games last season, while Doncic led the NBA with 33.5 points per game and added 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists.
Redick also discussed his own development as a coach, admitting that he felt less comfortable early in his coaching career.
“I probably shouldn’t admit this, but early in my coaching career, it felt like I was cosplaying a little bit,” Redick said. “It was like I was pretending to be a coach.”
He said experience has helped him become more comfortable teaching and adapting, while also changing his approach to leadership.
“I felt like calm is better,” Redick said. “When I played, I played with an anger. There was an inner anger that drove my competitiveness. That’s not always a good thing as a coach.”
Redick enters his third season as Lakers head coach with the team coming off back-to-back 50-win seasons. Los Angeles reached the Western Conference semifinals last season before being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the roster has since been reshaped around Doncic and Reaves following LeBron James’ departure.
