JJ Redickthe Lakers new head coach, looked down one set of the numbers to discover that one of his rookies, Bronny James made more movement in the team’s first practice than anyone else on the roster.
“I went to Bronny before practice and I was like, ‘Man, you ran six miles.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, I know.’ So somebody already shared that with him,” Redick said Wednesday. “I think my experience as a player was very helpful because I had to come in at the end of all this tracking stuff. And it was something, especially as I got older, that was important to me in terms of measuring just my ability and my burden. And if a guy has a strong buildup, and he’s doing well, that’s important information for him.”
But, it doesn’t matter to everyone, a needle that Redick will have to thread with how he uses and disseminates information collected by wearable technology, high-definition cameras and sensors near the edges on the practice floor — all measuring different information and recording. data
“I don’t care about numbers,” Anthony Davis said. “Numbers are nothing. You could average 50. If you’re in last place, like, what do you get out of the season, “Oh, you average 50.” You get nothing for that. I’m all about winning, winning championships.
“So, that doesn’t matter to me.”
It clearly matters to his new head coach – everything does.
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Redick is admittedly prone to getting into the weeds on issues big and small. Earlier this year, LeBron James told Redick he thought a live DJ would be a nice touch at practice. Through two days inside the facility, the team had DJ Meel set up in the corner near their weight room. And Reddick liked the atmosphere.
“If the players are happy, I’m good,” he said.
He is not alone, however, when it comes to his passion for information. He said he wanted to make sure that when he formed his first NBA staff, he was surrounded by people who wanted to learn the same thing.
“More information is better,” Redick said. “That’s how I … every person that we hired, that was a key thing that I told them. ‘Do you want to get into the weeds?’ – Yes, I do want to go into the grass. Yes.’ So as much information as possible.”
But Redick, like any player who has seen analytics enter the NBA realm, knows that there is a balance that must be struck, that information overload can be just as crippling as physical overload. And there’s an art to sharing things that matter to you with players who might not care as much.
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“I think that’s a good thing that he’s an ex-player. Obviously, the numbers don’t lie. And there is a lot of truth in the numbers. But there’s also a flow and a feel to the game,” guard Austin Reaves said. “And for him to be a former player, I know he knows the ups and downs in games and the situations to get away from the numbers. But like you said, he’s a big numbers guy and I’m really excited to dive in myself more into that and see how I can be better as well.
“…In the past, I blushed all that. Yesterday was the first time I actually looked at how much I ran in practice. It was like five miles. I tend to play more by feel and go with the flow. But I also think there are situations where there are numbers that give you a leg up or a little boost to really see what’s working and not working.”
Notes
Davis shared a funny back-and-forth story from live action on Wednesday between LeBron James and Bronny. “It’s amazing to be able to be here and witness it in action,” Davis said. “And Bronny hit a three over him today. Everyone spoke in favor of Bronny. Then Bron came down and just bullied somebody. Just took it out [him] – I forgot who it was – and received a deposit. Bronny came down and hit another three, I think Austin. And Bron wanted the ball. So you could see, even though they weren’t matched, the competition is there. And that’s what we love to see.” … Cam Reddish remained a limited participant with ankle soreness, but his injury has improved since Tuesday. … The Lakers have a plan for how they’ll use their veterans in the preseason, though they’re not sharing it yet. … The team has an early practice scheduled for Thursday before taking a bus to Palm Springs where they will play their first two preseason games.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
