JJ has the Lakers playing some different defensive looks here in the second half and it has the Suns thrown off. They're also morphing between zone and man looks within possessions and that's really got the Suns messed up. Good scheming, especially in Game 2.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 26, 2024

The Lakers looked more prepared, organized and adaptable than a team coached by a two-time Coach of the Year. Don’t wanna get ahead of ourselves here but it’d be hard not to get excited by JJ Redick so far.

— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) October 26, 2024

LAKERS PLAYER ADVANCED STATS AFTER 2 GAMES

OffRtg: Knecht 130.2, Hayes 127.3, Vincent 122.2
DefRtg: Knecht 101.6, Reaves 102.0, Davis 109.0
NetRtg: Knecht +28.5, Reaves +15.9, Rui +11.9

Max Christie & Bronny James only negative NetRtgs. pic.twitter.com/FIeACb3M1z

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) October 26, 2024

LAKERS TEAM STATS FOR WIN OVER SUNS

Lakers came back from down 22 points
Lakers outshot hot Suns from field & deep
Lakers lost 3-point battle by 9 points
Lakers dominated made-free-throws by 14 points
Lakers won points-in-paint by 4 points
Lakers again won turnover battle by 4 pic.twitter.com/cXYpGZSJlb

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) October 26, 2024

LAKERS ADVANCED TEAM STATS
AFTER 2 GAMES:

Offensive Rating: 118.9 (5th)
Defensive Rating: 111.7 (12th)
Net Rating: +7.1 (7th) pic.twitter.com/DLMEuTxMO0

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) October 26, 2024

Suns-Lakers: 5 takeaways as Anthony Davis helps erase 22-point deficit https://t.co/XkNlOor0mO

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) October 26, 2024

1. Redick might be ready for the job

He arrived with a coaching resume lighter than the supermodels who sashay around Crypto.com Arena and yet, based purely on how the Lakers are performing in his system, JJ Redick looks, shall we say, experienced?

There is a noticeable chemistry and cohesion to the Lakers, especially offensively. The ball is shared and the scoring is balanced. The supporting players around LeBron and AD seem confident and purposeful.

“The other night we played his game plan to a T and trusted his defensive schemes. Tonight was a different type of game,” said Davis. “Down 22, that’s when the trust has to really kick in, the coaching has to kick in. J comes in at halftime, telling us ‘we’re alright, settle down, we know what we’re doing wrong.’

2. Davis looks unstoppable again

For the second straight game Davis was the power source offensively, scoring 35 points against the Suns after opening the season with 36.

Aggressive and forceful, Davis is option A and it’s a role both he and the Lakers are embracing.

“The positions where I’m getting the ball, it’s effective,” he said. “And when my teammates are playing well it opens the floor and opportunities for me.”

3. Suns and defense are still under development

Mike Budenholzer is coaching the Suns because the club constantly collapsed defensively last season under Frank Vogel.

Well, the Suns can change the coach, but until they either find better defenders or develop a better defensive mindset, that side of the court might still be problematic.

They surrendered 71 second-half points to the Lakers and a team with such certified scorers as Durant, Booker and Beal couldn’t keep up with that pace.

4. LA, the sports epicenter

Biggest cheer of the night came when the Suns hit a third-quarter 3-pointer. The reaction wasn’t for the shot, of course. It was at that precise moment when Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam for the Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series.

5. Two Jameses still on the roster, for now

When the Lakers schedule was announced, it fell in place for Bronny James almost as neatly as the Draft. That’s because the road game in Cleveland would be early enough in the season — Wednesday, actually — to warrant him playing in his other “home” town.

So it’s very likely that after this upcoming six-game road trip and that stop in Cleveland that Bronny will likely get sent to the South Bay Lakers of the G League for developing.

JUST IN: Bronny will travel with the Lakers for their upcoming 5-game road trip and then will begin ‘shuttling’ between the active roster and the South Bay Lakers, per @ShamsCharania 🚨 pic.twitter.com/iiNqYGJSlp

— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) October 25, 2024

How the Lakers couldn't make a shot but still won their opener https://t.co/VQOH1x3esD

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) October 24, 2024

The value of shooting — even just as a concept

The Lakers were one of four teams to shoot worse than 30% from three this preseason, so it shouldn’t be too big of a surprise that they started the season slowly from distance.

In their win against Minnesota, the Lakers made only five of 30 from three, an appallingly bad shooting night for a team that’s spent real time and effort trying to shoot more from deep.

So how did they win? And why was it so surprising?

The Lakers became just the 11th team since the introduction of the three-point shot to attempt 30 or more threes and make five or fewer and still win. (Good news, the 2019-20 Lakers were one of the other teams to pull this off.)

In talking to players and coaches after the game, a few things stood out as to how they managed to beat Minnesota on a night when they couldn’t get a shot to fall.

For one, Minnesota really struggled. The Timberwolves turned the ball over 15 times, new acquisitions Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo were fairly quiet, and it took them until the second half to play with any real defensive force.

But two, the Lakers played incredibly hard, from LeBron James on down, in their first game under JJ Redick. They, not Minnesota, “punched first,” as NBA coaches love to say, dictating the physicality with their effort and speed.

Three, the Lakers made good on their promise to be more physical on the offensive glass. They created 15 offensive rebounds with effort and intentionality — Austin Reaves had four of them.

And, probably most important, Anthony Davis dominated. Some of that dominance, though, can be attributed to the Lakers properly spacing the floor around him and at least being threats to shoot from three even if they couldn’t buy a basket. While the quality of three-point shot went down from a typical Lakers game last season, the volume of attempts and the motion to create them gave Davis more room to attack Rudy Gobert without the threat of help coming to double.

The Lakers will need to make shots to have a successful season, and the double teams on Davis are coming sooner rather than later, but Tuesday night, the willingness and intention from beyond the three-point line was enough to pull the Timberwolves away from the rim and give the Lakers a chance for an improbable win.

Guards vs Bigs: ROUND TWO ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/am3L0fEWzb

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 24, 2024