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Isiah Thomas thinks JJ Redick could be new Bob Knight or Coach K

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JJ’s impressive coaching debut drew praise from many personalities, including Detroit Pistons legend and Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas.

“I look at it, and I hear Coach K, and I hear the other Coach K- Coach Knight,” said Thomas on NBA TV. “I was in the locker room with Coach K and Coach Knight in the ’79 Pan-Am Games and the teaching that he and Coach Knight have, that’s what I hear in JJ.”

Key takeaways from Lakers opening night win over Timberwolves

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The Lakers offense

Despite shooting a dismal 16.7% from beyond the arc on mostly open looks, L.A.’s offense clicked, tallying 22 assists while committing just seven turnovers against the Timberwolves, who boasted the league’s top-rated defense last season.

Last season, Lakers fans were frequently frustrated by the team’s tendency to shy away from the LeBron James-Anthony Davis pick-and-roll in crunch time despite it being one of the NBA’s most unstoppable offensive actions. However, in Tuesday’s game L.A.’s superstar duo stuck with the pick-and-roll, executing it repeatedly to close out the contest and seal the win.

Lakers Physicality

Head coach JJ Redick, who discussed “crash rate” on his podcast last year — a term he used to describe a team’s aggressiveness in pursuing offensive rebounds — saw one of his teaching points come to life. The Lakers made a concerted effort to dominate the glass, securing 15 offensive rebounds, a stark contrast from 2023-24 when they ranked dead last in offensive rebound percentage at 19.9%.

Redick’s strategy to emphasize second-chance opportunities was pivotal for a team like the Lakers, whose three-point shooting remains inconsistent at best. It proved to be one of the critical factors in their opening night victory.

Anthony Davis

Davis was the player of the game, putting on a two-way clinic with 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. His energy was constant, and he played with the vibe of someone you can count on down the stretch.

Redick finds blueprint for AD becoming Lakers’ offensive hub

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Yet after all these weeks in which Redick has talked about his plans to run so much of his offense through Davis, while empowering him more than ever along the way, it was quite a thing to see it play out in this kind of dominant form. They have the blueprint now, and the question is whether they can repeat it on a regular basis over the course of these next six (or more) months.

“Yeah, I mean playing through me at the elbows, the post, the top of the key, I think this is what we envisioned, just making plays out of (those spots) and kind of directing the offense,” Davis said. “And the same thing defensively. Obviously, it’s going to grow and we’re going to integrate more things within that. But I think it’s a good first step of seeing how (Redick) wants me to play and how he wants me to be that hub and to orchestrate the offense, in a sense.”

For all the focus on the 39-year-old James in this Lakers era — and his 19-year-old son, Bronny, in this particular week — the 31-year-old Davis is the one who matters most to the Lakers’ uncertain future. He’s the superstar in his prime who is under contract for massive money through the 2027-28 campaign (topping out at $70.1 million). He’s the one, in addition to James, whose perspective is being taken into account by ownership and the front office when the big decisions are being made (including, as I’ve discussed, the choice to part ways with Darvin Ham and hire first-year coach JJ Redick). And he’s the one who looked capable of carrying that sort of weighty load in the opener when he went at the neck of four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

The stat line spoke for itself: 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal. According to Stathead.com, it was just the second time in Davis’ career (797 total games; regular season and playoffs) that he reached those particular marks. Even if you pare it down to just points and rebounds, he had gone off like this only 29 times before (3.6 percent of the time).

It was high volume (11-of-23 shooting) in ways that we don’t often see from Davis, as he hit that 23-shot mark just seven times in the entire 2023-24 campaign.

Latest LeBron Retirement Rumors Extend Lakers’ Title Window

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If his magical ride came to an end after this campaign, it’d be hard to react in any other way than being thankful we were able to witness the journey.

As for the Lakers, though, losing James would mean losing their status as championship contenders. Sure, they might not considered the favorites, but it’s always easy to argue they have a puncher’s chance in any series because of the James-Anthony Davis connection.

Drop James from that equation, and you’ve just derailed L.A.’s title hopes. That’s why this team has operated (and currently operates) on one of the Association’s most extreme win-right-now timeframes.

To be clear, this latest rumor doesn’t totally change that. Even if James has plans of playing past this season, the Lakers can’t act like this is the case. His game might appear ageless, but Father Time will track him down at some point. L.A. is in no position to take anything for granted.

This does, however, suggest this isn’t an all-or-nothing kind of campaign. Regardless what happens with these season’s Lakers, next season’s club could be pretty darn good, too. And maybe the same will ring true for the following campaign, too.

That’s big. It’s big for JJ Redick, who entered the ultimate pressure cooker by opening his coaching career as the steward of James’ age-40 season. It’s big for the young players on this roster, who could get extra opportunities for learn everything James has to teach. It’s big for Davis, who faced the prospect of being a solitary star after this season.

And it’s objectively awesome for the basketball world, extending the window through which we can watch one of the greatest careers this game has ever seen.

L.A. appeared like a force to be reckoned with during its opening night takedown of a Minnesota Timberwolves team that won 56 games and grabbed the West’s No. 3 seed last season. It turns out, that force may not be going away any time soon.