Big Changes In Offense And Defense As JJ Redick Modernizes The Lakers

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With LeBron James’ and Anthony Davis’ preseason debuts slated tonight, we may finally get a glimpse of how the Lakers will play under new head coach JJ Redick, with big changes expected both on offense and defense.

Offensively, Redick knows the Lakers must modernize their offense and embrace the 3-point shot to win rings in today’s NBA. Look for the Lakers to increase their 3-point attempts from low 30’s to high 30’s or even low 40’s.
Anthony Davis will be the hub for the Lakers offensively and LeBron James will play more off the ball to save energy. Also expect more off-ball motion and screening and more running set plays versus letting players freelance.

Defensively, Redick plans for the Lakers to switch one-through-four, which means switching everything unless the opposing center is making the pick. This makes it easier for defenders to prevent penetration and stop threes.
Most importantly, switching one-through-four works better with drop coverage as it prevents opposing ball handlers from using screens to put defenders in jail for easy midrange jumpers, floaters, and/or free throws.

While Darvin Ham’s reign as the Lakers’ head coach ended up burning and crashing, there were moments when the greatness of James and Davis and the innate talent of the rest of the roster was able to shone through the fog.
Included in those moments were the Lakers’ league 5th-best 22–10 finish to last season, their league 3rd-best 118.5 points per game after February 3rd, and their starting lineup’s league 2nd- best 110.5 team defensive rating.

Those isolated stats are like easy veins of gold for an analytics-oriented coach like Redick to mine. They show this Lakers roster not only has the potential to be a top-10 offensive team but also a top-10 defensive team.
While most NBA pundits view the Lakers as a likely play-in team at best, Redick already has the Lakers’ players, organization, and fans giddy with optimism that they finally have their next Pat Riley or Phil Jackson.

Replace the chaos, distrust, and inconsistency of Ham’s reign with the attention to detail, shared trust, and proven consistency of JJ Redick as the Lakers’ new coach and visionary to see their championship potential.