JJ Redick

Could Los Angeles Lakers Already Have Their Championship Roster?

February 25, 2025 By LakerTom 8 Comments

The Los Angeles Lakers’ play last month has been so dominant with or without AD or Luka that the latest NBA power rankings has them ranked as the second best team in the West and the fourth best team in the league.

With a 34–21 record and fresh off a 123–100 demolition of their long-time nemesis Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers currently are the 4th seed in the West 1 loss ahead of 5th and 1 loss behind the 2nd and 3rd seeds. With 27 games left in the Lakers’ regular season, the Luka Doncic trade not only gives Los Angeles a 25-year old superstar to eventually replace 40-year old LeBron James but also a legitimate shot at winning the title this year.

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Four Lakers Lineup Changes Redick Should Make Before Today’s Game

February 22, 2025 By LakerTom 8 Comments

Rookie head coach JJ Redick could jumpstart the Lakers stretch run by making four critical changes to his starting lineup and rotation before rather than after tonight’s prime time matchup against the Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers can’t count that adding Luka Doncic will be enough to offset losing Anthony Davis and Max Christie or erase the mental edge the Denver Nuggets have used to dominate the Los Angeles Lakers for several years. Redick would be smart to get ahead of the curve and make the likely changes another beat down by Denver tonight would demand before the game to give his team a chance to pull off an upset and end the curse.

Right now, it’s obvious to everybody but Redick that the Lakers need more defense in the starting lineup and more offense off the bench for his 10-man rotation to work. It’s also obvious Alex Len is a poor fit next to Luka.
Frankly, a big part of the problem is JJ is still trying to walk the tight rope of integrating a ball dominant superstar in Luka Doncic without alienating LeBron James, Austin Reaves, or any of the Lakers’ other current starters.

What JJ needs to remember is there are now only 29 games remaining in this season and the Lakers have already slipped to 5th with Luka still, at best, multiple games away from being fully healthy and ready to dominate.
JJ has no games or time to waste. There are obvious moves to make that would not only help the team but also send a message to Luka that the Lakers are his team and the coach is making the moves to support that.

Let’s look at the four lineup changes JJ Redick needs to make for the Lakers to become Luka’s team and how their new starting lineup and rotation give them their best chance to upset their nemesis Denver Nuggets tonight.

1. Start Finney-Smith Over Hachimura

Starting Dorian Finney-Smith over Rui Hachimura is the most important roster move JJ could make before tonight’s game against the Nuggets. DFS is the Lakers’ best defensive player and starting lineup needs him.

The Lakers also are under pressure to sign Dorian Finney-Smith to an extension or possibly lose him to free agency this summer. Even more importantly, Finney-Smith is a player Luka Doncic loves playing with.
The Lakers would be smart to promote Dorian Finney-Smith to be a starter and then to give him a new contract commensurate with the value he has brought to the team at both ends of the court. Keeping DFS is top priority.

While Rui Hachimura has done a fine job starting, he is not the individual or team defender that Dorian Finney-Smith is and the Lakers desperately need to upgrade the defense of their starting lineup. Starting DFS is step 1.
The change not only adds Finney-Smith’s valuable defense to the starting lineup but also Hachimura’s volume offense to the non-starting lineups. Rui should be even more dominant offensively against second stringers.

Over the last 15 games, Finney-Smith has averaged 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.2 blocks in 26.7 minutes per game while shooting 50.0% from the field, 39.6% from three, and 100.0% from the line.
During that same 15-game stretch, Dorian posted a team best 100.3 defensive rating and +19.3 net rating. Dorian has simply been the Lakers’ best role player during the last 15 games and deserves to be the starter.

Right now, Redick is playing Hachimura around 5 minutes per game more than Finney-Smith. Starting DFS and moving Hachimura to the bench will correct that imbalance and give valuable Finney-Smith needed minutes.

2. Start Gabe Vincent Over Austin Reaves

The Lakers also need to start Gabe Vincent over Austin Reaves because he’s a better fit defensively next to Luka Doncic at shooting guard and AR’s elite shot-making and playmaking would be a better fit coming off the bench.

This is a very difficult personnel decision to make but one that must be made for the good of the team and for the future of Austin Reaves. Defensively, the Lakers simply cannot start Doncic, James, and Reaves.
Even with James now playing some of the best defense we’ve seen from him in years and Reaves making a valiant effort, the Lakers cannot win the NBA championship starting three players who are defensively challenged.

The Lakers need better offense/defense balance in their starting lineup and Austin Reaves needs a role where he can focus more on making shots and plays and not wearing himself out defending the other team’s top scorer.
Coming off the bench, Austin Reaves will be able to get more touches and opportunities playing alongside just one of LeBron James or Luka Doncic rather than trying to fit in as the third option after the two superstars.

JJ Redick needs to remember that the Lakers are now Luka Doncic’s team and as soon as he is physically and mentally ready to take over the offense, he’s going to need to have the ball in his hands whenever he’s in the game.
Frankly, there are not going to be enough touches left for two other point guards and playing Doncic, James, and Reaves together is not only not a smart plan defensively but is also just too many point guards for one ball.

Now healthy, Gabe has become one of the Lakers most trusted defenders and 3-point shooters, averaging 8.9 points, 1.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists in 22.7 minutes per game, shooting 38.2% from three with a 105.3 defensive rating.

3. Play Christian Koloko Over Alex Len

The Lakers also need to give Christian Koloko the backup center minutes allocated to Alex Len because Luka Doncic needs more vertical lob threats like Jaxson Hayes. Koloko would give Luka another vertical lob target.

While the Lakers plan to play a lot of small ball to compensate for the lack of positional centers on the roster, they need to give Koloko an opportunity to play the minutes given to Len. He’s clearly a better lob threat than Len.
Given a chance, I think Koloko could justify being promoted from two-way to standard contract so he would be eligible for the playoffs. The Lakers have until the last day of the season to make a decision on Christian.

The Lakers must do everything possible to ensure that Luka signs an extension before August 2nd. Knowing how important having vertical lob threats are to Luka’s game, the Lakers need to see what Koloko can do.
A legitimate 7-footer, Christian is the only other player on the Lakers’ roster who has the talent and tools to be an effective vertical lob threat for Luka. Koloko needs an opportunity to see how he fits as Hayes’ possible backup.

The remaining 29 games are going to be critical for the Lakers to figure out how best to optimize Luka Doncic with their current roster to have a shot to win their 18th championship while LeBron is still playing like a superstar.
JJ Redick would be smart both in the short and long term to give any backup center minutes to young Christian Koloko rather than veteran Alex Len because he’s a better fit for what Doncic likes offensively in a center.

The Lakers need to make sure to do everything they can to give Luka players who complement what he does best and cover for his weaknesses. Right now, Christian Koloko could be another vertical lob threat for Luka.

4. Two Point Guards In Every Lineup

The best way the Lakers can take advantage of having three elite starting quality point guards in Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves is by staggering them to ensure that two of the three are on the court at all times.

By moving Austin Reaves to the bench as the team’s 6th man, JJ Redick has made it easier to create a starting lineup and 10-man rotation where he will have Luka/LeBron, Luka/Reaves, or LeBron/Reaves on the court all game.
Building intelligent lineups that work is easy when every lineup created is anchored by an elite point guard duo that includes one of the team’s two superstars. Just add three needed shooters, rebounders, and defenders.

If JJ wants high scoring offense, then surround Luka/LeBron, Luka/Reaves, or LeBron/Reaves with dead-eye 3-point shooters. If he wants elite defense, then surround them with a trio of Vanderbilt, Finney-Smith, and Vincent.
Now that the Lakers are close to being 100% healthy, their lineups have become much more versatile with better balance of offense and defense. Most importantly, JJ now has tools to help at both ends of the court.

One of the goals JJ Redick needs to ace over the next 29 games is fixing the starting lineup and 10-man rotation he is going to utilize to win games in the playoffs. Frankly, the playoffs start right now for teams in the West.
Having three starting quality point guards is actually a gigantic benefit for the Lakers but only if they figure out how to take advantage of all three. Having two of the three on the court all the time is the optimum option.

Breaking the Lakers’ Big Three point guards into three distinct pairs of playmakers is the smartest scheme to optimize the elite shot-making and playmaking skills of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves.

5. Lakers’ New Starting Lineup & Rotation

LAKERS STARTING LINEUP AND 10-MAN ROTATION

Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent give the Lakers’ starting lineup a dramatic upgrade defensively while Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Christian Koloko give the team’s bench a major upgrade offensively.

The Lakers starters include Luka Doncic, Gabe Vincent, Dorian Finney-Smith, LeBron James, and Jaxson Hayes with backups of Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Christian Koloko.
JJ Redick’s four lineup changes transformed the Lakers. By upgrading the starting lineup’s defense and the bench’s offense, the Lakers now have excellent offensive and defensive balance throughout their rotation.

The Lakers’ new defense-first starting lineup is essentially Luka Doncic surrounded by four of the Lakers’ five best individual defensive players in Gabe Vincent, Dorian Finney-Smith, LeBron James, and Jaxson Hayes.
Teams that try to switch-hunt Luka Doncic will suddenly find themselves scrambling in chaos as Lakers’ new starting defense aggressively attacks by trapping, doubling, and rotating whenever teams try to switch-hunt.

Over the next 29 games, the Lakers’ starters plus Reaves and Hachimura will likely average 30 minutes per game or 210 of the 240 minutes in the game, leaving just 30 minutes for the team’s three other rotation players.
While Redick will look to rest his top seven players, Doncic, James, Finney-Smith, Vincent, Hayes, Reaves, and Hachimura should play 85 to 90% of the available minutes and Knecht, Vanderbilt, and Koloko just 15 to 20%.

JJ Redick knows he just has 29 games to get the team ready for the playoffs. He also knows today’s game is a critical measuring stick for the Lakers. JJ needs to go bold and make the needed lineup changes before today’s game.

How Redick Transformed Lakers Into Offensive & Defensive Juggernauts

February 12, 2025 By LakerTom 7 Comments

After Anthony Davis’ initial injury and before Luka Doncic’s trade, JJ Redick had already implemented a series of strategy changes that would magically transform the Lakers’ pre-Luka offense and defense into top-5 juggernauts.

The Lakers were already top-5 offense and defense before trading for Luka. During the 5 wins after Davis’ injury, the Lakers’ 125.9 offensive rating was #3, their 106.4 defensive rating #3, and their +19.5 net rating #2 in the NBA. The 25-year old Euro superstar Luka Doncic is without question the best possible LeBron James clone the Lakers could have hoped to be able to get. Like always, the Lakers somehow miraculously found their next legend.

For Lakers fans, this offseason has been a 4-ring drama circus that opened with the JJ Redick/Dan Hurley act, followed by the DLO/DFS trade, then the AD/Luka trade, and closed with the rescinded Knecht/Williams trade.
All this noise has overshadowed and hid how much better the Lakers have been playing on both sides of the ball starting last January and peaking during the 5-game win streak after AD injury and before trading for Luka.

Right now, the Los Angeles Lakers have won 6 straight games, 9 of their last 10 games, 12 of their last 14 games, and are essentially tied with the Denver Nuggets for 3rd place in the West with just 19 losses against their 32 wins.
The Lakers are clearly the hottest team in the NBA. They led by more than 20 points in 9 of last 11 games. Over last 6 games, the Lakers were #1 in league in Team FG%, Team 3P%, Opponent FG%, and Opponent 3P%.

Let’s take a closer look at the key strategic changes JJ Redick made to the Lakers’ offense and defense to catapult them to top-5 status, transform them into juggernauts, and prepare them for playing with Luka Doncic.

Embracing 3-Point Shot & Vertical Spacing

JJ Redick knew when Anthony Davis left the Sixers game that it might have been his last game for the Lakers and that it was now time to start running a new double point guard offense with LeBron James and Austin Reaves.

While the Lakers had enjoyed success using an offense built with Anthony Davis as its hub, there was an unrequired desire by the front office to play faster and shoot more threes than they could do with a Davis hub offense.
Redick’s offense had already been emphasizing elite playmaking and shot making so he immediately started running his double point guard offense with Austin Reaves playing the role of Luka Doncic next to LeBron James.

Over the last 6 games, the Los Angeles Lakers have simply been the hottest team in the NBA, leading the league by shooting 54.1% from the field and 41.6% from deep, both the highest shooting percentages in the entire NBA.
They’ve been blowing opposing teams out, averaging close to 30 assists per game, and simply shooting lights out from everywhere on the court. Over the last 6 games, every single role player on the Lakers had a positive +/-.

While trading Davis exacerbated the Lakers thin center rotation, Hayes and an array of speedy and lethal small ball lineups featuring LeBron, DFS, and Vando playing the five have Los Angeles rocking and rolling on offense.
There are no better switch hunting offensive geniuses in this league than LeBron James and Anthony Davis and the Lakers will have at least one of these generational superstars on the floor for all 48 minutes of every game.

The NBA has never seen a Playmaking Big Three like LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves. They will open and close games with all three and stagger and have at least two of them on the court for all 48 minutes.

Building Elite Defense Around Luka Doncic

Knowing his superstar rim protector was likely gone, Redick had to figure out not only how to replace AD but also how to upgrade a defense that had not been elite even with Davis and also had several huntable defenders.

While switch-hunting will be a major offensive strategy by LeBron and Luka, avoiding switch-hunting has to be a major objective of Redick’s new defensive strategy, especially if he is starting LeBron, Luka and Reaves.
The Lakers new defensive strategy calls for more trapping and doubling rather than switching, especially when opposing scorers are hunting a weak defender, and trusting their ability to make timely smart rotations.

During the Lakers current 6-game win streak, we’ve seen this strategy work beautifully against the Knicks’ Brunson and Towns, Clippers’ Harden and Leonard, Warriors’ Curry and Hield, and Pacers’ Haliburton and Siakam.
Over the last 6 games, the Lakers used this new defensive strategy to force opposing offenses to shoot an NBA second worst 41.0% from the field and NBA worst 29.5% from deep and to post a 3rd best 106.2 defensive rating.

The beauty of the new strategy is it replaces the passive switch-everything approach Redick tried out earlier in the season with a legitimate alpha-dog aggressive approach that focuses on team rather than individual defense.
It’s a system that demands more energy, communication, and rapport by everybody on defense, which is something that also takes advantage of the continuity the Lakers have built by retaining most of their rotation players.

The Lakers anti-switch-hunting defense is a better match for the mentality and skill sets of the Lakers’ rotation players and is a perfect match for their new high speed, 3-point and vertical spaced double point guard offense.

Lakers’ Five-Game Win Streak Is Blueprint To Win Championship

February 10, 2025 By LakerTom 7 Comments

Despite cancelling the Mark Williams trade, the top-5 offense and defense Redick has the Lakers playing without AD during this 5-game win streak is a blueprint not only to survive but to thrive and still win a championship.

While the everybody online was worrying whether Luka would fit with LeBron and what L.A. would do now that Mark Williams failed his physical, JJ Redick suddenly has the Lakers playing championship level basketball. Right now, the Lakers have won 5 in a row and are playing their best basketball of the season, displaying legitimate top-5 NBA offense and defense, without AD and just Jaxson Hayes and a duo of two-way centers.

Frankly, the Lakers have played so well at both ends during this 5-game stretch that not having to integrate a new center in Williams at the same time as a new superstar in Doncic could be end up being a positive move.
One of the strengths of the current roster and reasons why the Lakers are playing so well right now is their roster continuity. Trading Knecht for Williams was a trade specifically designed to retain the current rotation.

What’s clear from the way the Lakers are playing right now is JJ Redick is coming into his own as an elite head coach. To a man, this team has bought into how JJ wants them to play and the results have been sensational.
After the loss to the Nets where AD was injured, the Lakers suddenly like an entirely different team. They’re sharing the ball and raining threes on offense and doubling, challenging, and rotating on a string on defense.

What’s behind the Lakers’ sudden elite performance over the last 5 games? Offensively, they’ve suddenly starting to share the ball like JJ wants and were #1 in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage the last 5 games.
Defensively, the Lakers without AD are playing like a legitimate top-5 team. They’re doubling and trapping pick-and-rolls and and rotating like a team on a string. #1 in opponent field goal and 3-point percentage last 5 games.

The Lakers’ 5-game win streak is the perfect blueprint for how the Lakers win the NBA championship: Offensively, post highest field goal and 3-point percentages. Defensively, post lowest field goal and 3-point percentages.

Four Reasons Marcus Smart & Walker Kessler Are ‘Right Players’ For Lakers

January 2, 2025 By LakerTom 8 Comments

After trading for elite 3&D wing Dorian Finney-Smith, the ‘right players’ whom the Lakers should next target are Grizzlies’ former DPOY point guard Marcus Smart and Jazz’ shot-blocking defensive center Walker Kessler.

While it will require major draft capital, Smart and Kessler are the ‘right players’ for the Lakers to target because they would transform the Lakers into a defense-first team and dramatically upgrade depth and continuity. Smart and Kessler earn just $23 million per year so the Lakers would only have to give up Hachimura, Hood-Schifino, Reddish, and Wood while still keeping valuable backups like Vincent, Vanderbilt, Christie and Milton.

Trading for Smart and Kessler would cost the Lakers serious draft capital in the form of 2 first round picks, 1 first round pick swap, and 2 second round picks but only 1 starter and 3 bench players who are not part of the future.

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In comparison, if the Lakers traded for Pelicans’ point guard Dejounte Murray and Pacers’ center Myles Turner, who combined earn $50 million per year, they’d have also had to give up Vincent, Vanderbilt, and Christie.

While Murray and Turner might have the ‘highest ceiling’ of any point guard and center duo the Lakers might trade for, a Smart and Kessler trade has almost as much upside but clearly allows greater depth and continuity.
Being able to retain Vincent, Vanderbilt, and Christie not only dramatically strengthens the Lakers’ backups but leaves them with multiple tradable salaries that could be used to make additional moves to upgrade the roster.

While costly in terms of draft capital, here are the four reasons why Marcus Smart and Walker Kessler are the ‘right point guard and center duo’ for the Lakers to target to transform their roster into a championship contender.

1. Transform Lakers Into Defense-First Team

Starting Smart at point guard and Kessler at center alongside Davis at power forward would transform the Lakers into a legitimate defense-first NBA team with three elite defenders starting and three coming off bench.

Starting Marcus Smart with Austin Reaves in the backcourt and Walker Kessler with Anthony Davis and LeBron James in the front court would transform the L.A.’s starting lineup into a legitimate defensive juggernaut.
Suddenly, the Lakers rotation would boast six proven defense-first players including starters Anthony Davis, Marcus Smart, and Walker Kessler and reserves Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Dorian Finney-Smith.

The Lakers now have the 13th best offense and 8th worst defense in the league. Their problem in a nutshell is they can play top-5 offense or top-10 defense for stretches but can’t figure out how to do both at same time.
While the Lakers have claimed they’re totally committed to a defense-first style of basketball, the question remains whether Rob Pelinka is willing to spend the valuable draft capital it’ll take to transform the Lakers’ defense.

Replacing 6 one-way players in Russell, Lewis, Hachimura, Hood-Schifino, Milton, and Reddish with 3 legitimate two-way players in Finney-Smith, Smart, and Kessler would transform the Lakers into a defense-first team.
With every rotation lineup boasting a majority of solid defenders, the Lakers will suddenly become one of the top defensive teams in the NBA. Even mediocre defenders like Austin Reaves will become better defenders.

Having three elite defenders in the starting lineup and three plus defenders in their bench rotation should immediately transform the Los Angeles Lakers from an offense-first to a deep and talented defense-first team.

2. Transform Starting Lineup Into Juggernaut

Starting Marcus Smart at point guard and Walker Kessler at center would immediately transform the Los Angeles Lakers’ starting lineup from an offense-first fivesome to what could be a legitimate defensive juggernaut.

Right now, the Lakers’ starting lineup of Reaves, Christie, Hachimura, James, and Davis has posted an excellent Offrtg of 109.6, Defrtg of 104.0, and Netrtg of +5.6 for 105 minutes in 10 games played for the season.
While those are actually good numbers for a starting lineup, replacing Christie and Hachimura with Smart and Kessler would greatly upgrade their perimeter point-of-attack defense and low post rim protection.

Pairing former DPOY Marcus Smart with Austin Reaves instead of young unproven Max Christie would dramatically upgrade the Lakers’ point-of-attack perimeter defense, especially in playoffs where experience counts.
Similarly, pairing Walker Kessler with Anthony Davis instead of offense-first Rui Hachimura would immediately upgrade the starting lineup’s size and physicality, particularly against teams who play two-bigs lineups.

While there could be teams where starting two bigs might not be the best matchup, the Lakers will always have the option of starting Finney-Smith at small forward and moving James and Davis to power forward and center.
That alternative Lakers’ starting lineup would include Marcus Smart and Austin Reaves as backcourt guards and LeBron James and Dorian Finney-Smith as front court forwards with Anthony Davis reverting to center.

Trading for Marcus Smart and Walker Kessler to replace Max Christie and Rui Hachimura would transform the Lakers’ starting lineup into both an offensive and defensive juggernaut that would among best in league.

3. Upgrade Rotation Depth and Versatility

Trading for Marcus Smart and Walker Kessler to start at point guard and center would enable the Lakers to dramatically upgrade their rotational depth and versatility to better matchup against different opponents.

Being able to retain valuable rotation players like Vincent, Christie, Vanderbilt, Finney-Smith, and Hayes when trading for Smart and Kessler is key to the Lakers being able to win the minutes when their superstars rest.
Having two elite shot blocking defensive centers who together can essentially put a lid on the the Lakers basket for all 48 minutes of every game will also dramatically improve the Lakers’ non-starting lineups.

The Lakers would have experienced, trustworthy backups at all 5 spots with Gabe Vincent at the one, Max Christie at the two, Jarred Vanderbilt at the three, Dorian Finney-Smith at the four, and Jaxson Hayes at the five.
That would leave the Lakers with three young development projects in Shake Milton, LeBron James Jr., and Dalton Knecht plus two open roster spots that could be filled by free agents or by L.A.’s two-way players.

Opening up two roster spots will give the Lakers the opportunity to convert one of their two-way players to a standard contract, upgrade one of their backup players, or sign a promising new young player to be developed.
Ideally, the Lakers need strong backups at all five positions in case a starter gets injured or is in foul trouble and development players who can step up when needed when one of their backups suffers injury or foul problems.

Being able to retain Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Max Christie is critical to building the strong 9 or 10-man rotation the Lakers will need if they want to legitimately compete for their 18th NBA championship.

4. Optimize Other Roster Opportunities

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One of the other benefits of the trades for Marcus Smart and Walker Kessler is it still leaves the Lakers with two open roster spots, around $8 million in cap space under 1st apron, and multiple tradable salaries.

While the Lakers would have used much of their draft capital to trade for Smart and Kessler, they still have several players like Gabe Vincent, Max Christie, and Jarred Vanderbilt who could be swapped in another trade.
The post trade depth chart clearly shows that the Lakers could use a modern center who could stretch the floor and a bruising power forward who could extend their positional size advantage in the front court.

There are also a group of viable bigs that earns around $10M/yr and another group who earns less than $5M/yr, whom the Lakers could still swap Vincent, Vanderbilt, or Christie for more roster depth and versatility.
The Lakers could trade Gabe Vincent ($11M/yr), Jarred Vanderbilt ($10.7M/yr), and/or Max Christie ($7.1M/yr) for a center like Kelly Olynyk ($12.8M/yr), Robert Williams ($12.4M/yr), or Day’Ron Sharpe ($3.9M/yr).

Olynyk would give the Lakers a invaluable modern offensive center who’s an elite 3-point shooting, playmaking four or five while Williams would give them an all-world defender who could be a star if he can stay healthy.
Both would be massive upgrades that would give the Lakers’ front court major positional advantage and critical insurance against Anthony Davis or Walker Kessler becoming injured or getting into serious foul trouble.

The Lakers learned the hard way this summer why building a roster with maximum positional and financial flexibility is an absolute necessity for the team to be able to respond to the market and emerging opportunities.