For a man who reveres Ernest Hemingway enough to name his podcast after “The Old Man and the Sea,” rookie Lakers coach JJ Redick should know one of the mantras of his favorite author.
“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 end up in stagnant isolation for LeBron James or Anthony Davisthe Laker to whom the ball goes. Or, maybe hiring Redick the Lakers made a significant edit, adding an emphasis on better organization and an increase in three-point shooting.
Redick’s now-defunct podcast was called “The Old Man and the Three” after all.
The Lakers begin their new season on Tuesday with a mandate for change. A second straight loss to the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs with just one overall win between the series will force that.
However, change could be difficult to achieve when the players on the court are mostly the same. And change isn’t always for the better, with every day another tick on James’ odometer, which, in one of the NBA’s great mysteries, will finally max out.
Read more: Bronny James shines and Quincy Olivari makes a pitch to stay with the Lakers
So what are the actionable things in the control of the team? Can Redick’s philosophies fundamentally change who the Lakers are, unlocking even more of the most established players?
We’re about to find out.
Just like 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 definitely affected the Lakers’ fortunes last season. Some of Darvin Ham’s lineup conflicts and shuffling of starters can be linked to Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura both missing parts of the season early in the year. And Gabe Vincent, the team’s big signing in free agency, was never healthy and didn’t factor into the regular season, leaving the Lakers without two of their best perimeter defenders in him and Vanderbilt.
While the rotation has taken a hit, the top of the roster has been remarkably healthy. Davis missed just six games. Same for D’Angelo Russell. James sat only 11. Austin Reaves played all 82.
While the 124 combined games Vincent and Vanderbilt missed absolutely factored into how the team performed, it’s safe to say it affected it less than having the four leading scorers almost always on the court.
So yes, the Lakers’ fortunes this season will be tied to health, an area where James’ age and Davis’ past should always make them feel a little uneasy. Both players are coming off the Olympics and looked in great shape during the pre-season. But Redick knows those minutes in Paris could have a long-term toll and is sure to check it out.
Is there another level for Anthony Davis?
The early-season attention around the Lakers will focus on James and his son and teammate, Bronny, who will make history when they become the first father-son duo to share the court in the NBA. That moment could come as soon as Tuesday, and the possibility of it drove much of the discussion around the team.
Still, somewhat quietly, Davis has been one of the best players in the league this preseason.
“Being aggressive every time on the floor. Dominating every game. Doing my job, doing my part to help this team do what we need to do,” Davis said of his expectations for himself. “That’s to compete defensively, take a role offensively, be a leader of the team, carry us in games, playoffs, whatever it takes. We can’t rely too much on our individual games and obviously it’s a team effort and what we’re trying to build.
“But for me personally, it’s just about making sure I’m even better than I was last year.”
He averaged 21.8 points in just 25.6 minutes (the second-highest preseason scoring average) — the kind of production and opportunity Redick said he hoped to empower Davis with.
“I think we have not only one of the best players in the world, but one of the most unique players in the world in Anthony Davis because there are very few people who can do what he can do at his size his size, his ball handling, his skill offensively and definitely the fact that he’s one of the best defensive players in the world,” Redick said before training camp.
He also tried to get Davis to be more comfortable behind the three-point line, something he showed in his preseason finale in Phoenix when he made four in the first quarter.
“It’s the will that’s exciting now. … He has to be ready. I think that is the most important thing. I pulled out the first play of the game for him to shoot a three. And he knocked it down,” Redick said after the game. “And, whether that’s confidence or composure, like him only, he wanted to shoot tonight. And we want him to be willing to shoot. That doesn’t mean he’ll take nine threes a game. I don’t think that’s realistic. But he has to throw it in there. “
Offense will never be the main draw for Davis. He returned to the All-Defensive first team for the first time in three seasons, although he still never won a defensive player of the year.
Asked at media day which parts of his defensive game are underrated, he didn’t hold back.
“All of it,” Davis said. “Every part.”
Internal growth
One of the most common criticisms around the league when it comes to the Lakers has been the team’s inability to win at the rim, to stack up the little wins that can build momentum and add up to something bigger.
Under Redick, the team and organization have been committed to the kinds of details he appreciates. They’ve made hires to add to their analytics department and medical teams — areas Redick actively oversees.
The coaching staff, led by former head coaches Scott Brooks and Nate McMillan, impressed people around the team. And the general “vibes,” in the words of several players, were pretty good — the kind of thing you’d expect early in the tenure of any new coach and his staff.
“They’ve assembled a coaching staff that holds everybody accountable,” LeBron James said. “But more importantly, they’re just making sure we’re taking in all the details, taking in all the information at a pace that’s good for all of us.”
The Lakers seem ready to give Reaves, Max Christie and a novice Dalton Knecht significant opportunities to play crucial roles, with Reaves poised to make an even bigger leap under Redick’s system.
Read more: Rookie Dalton Knecht shows why the Lakers think they got a steal in the draft
At least that’s the plan. The real tests, most think, will come when adversity arises and adaptation is required.
On Sunday, two days before his first real game as coach, Redick sounded like someone who understood that.
“You do look for ways to maximize your players in some of your own philosophies, and then you also have to have some leeway to that to give them what they need to do. [something] that may go against your philosophies,” he said. “And to be honest with you, there wasn’t much of it. It was mostly on the same page and consensus from everyone: coaches and players alike.”
The early version of the Lakers, the one that Redick saw in practices and in the limited moments with the best players on the court in the preseason games, may have seemed pretty good.
But as any Hemingway fan knows, those first drafts always leave room for improvement.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
