The J.J. Redick era is off and running for the Los Angeles Lakers, and part of being a first-year head coach means establishing a culture.
It seems like Redick is aware of that. According to a new report, before training camp started, Redick gathered the team in a Beverly Hills restaurant for a presentation. It led to a discussion involving the players about team values.
“The presentation included a video highlighting the tenets on which the team would be built, with Redick backing up analytics benchmarks with clips showing the players reaching them last season,” wrote ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and Matt Williams. “‘You told on yourselves,’ Redick told the players, one source told ESPN, his sarcastic way of telling them he knows they are capable of what he is asking them to do.
“Charcoal T-shirts were distributed with the theme of the season printed across the chest in white block letters: DETAILS (the ‘L’ in details was the Lakers’ secondary logo in gold, for good measure). Redick and his coaching staff introduced the team identity they expected on both ends of the floor, sources told ESPN. The discussion was then opened to the players to establish team values.
“Some of the points of emphasis, sources told ESPN, included:
“Respecting one another’s time.
“Playing for the same, common goal.
“Expecting elite execution night to night, no matter who is in or out of the lineup.
“Being efficient in everything, from shot selection for the players to time management from the coaches.
“Dominating the details, whether it’s the angle a screen is set on offense, or the timing of blitzing a pick-and-roll on defense.”
A team source described those items as L.A.’s “non-negotiables.”
“These were our non-negotiables,” the Lakers source told ESPN. “Come hell or high water, we will go back to this as a team.”
Across 10 games this season, the Lakers are 6-4, one win better than they were through 10 games last season. They’re on a decent trajectory but certainly still have some areas that are in need of improvement. Fortunately, there’s lots of season left to address those things.
Any sort of playoff success would be a step in the right direction for the Lakers this season after they were eliminated in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, but postseason results shouldn’t be the only thing taken into consideration when evaluating the way L.A.’s current season unfolds.
Even if the Lakers don’t make a deep run in the playoffs this season, there could still be other ways for the team to have a productive campaign, like if the squad is able to establish a strong identity and culture under Redick.
As someone who played in the NBA as recently as the 2020-21 season, Redick knows what it takes to make it in today’s NBA, and his perspective should be an asset for the Lakers moving forward. He’s hoping to earn a long tenure with the organization after previous head coach Darvin Ham lasted just two seasons with L.A.
The Lakers, who are currently on a two-game winning streak, will look to build some more momentum when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. L.A. will then finish the week with two road games — one against the San Antonio Spurs and one against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Redick’s squad is currently seventh in the Western Conference with its 6-4 record, meaning the team currently holds a play-in spot.
