Originally published by LakersNation.com
The Los Angeles Lakers are going to look completely different this year than they did last year. They have nine new players that weren’t on last year’s roster, meaning head coach JJ Redick will have to build out a rotation effectively from scratch. That includes two open starting spots around Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and new center Walker Kessler.
Training camp will play a major role in determining how the rotation looks to start the season, as the Lakers and Redick don’t have as much to go off of. Oftentimes though, these type of competitions can lead to players being selfish and looking out for themselves instead of the team.
But at the first Lakers practice of the season, Redick made it clear that players on this team will not have that attitude.
“I think these guys are committed to each other,” Redick said of the Lakers. “I don’t think that there’s finding a balance, I think it’s about creating competition. Recognizing that every guy’s gonna have an opportunity throughout the season. That’s just the reality of the NBA now. And I mean, things can change beyond a guy is just out with an injury.
“I mean, Max Christie, right? Our first year he was in the rotation, he was horrible to start the year. We told him that he wasn’t doing what we asked him to do, he didn’t play. And then when he got back in the rotation, he eventually earned a starting spot and turned our season around.
“So the competition, that’s what the league is. This is a meritocracy. If anyone tells you otherwise, it’s bullshit. This is a meritocracy. You gotta earn your minutes and you cheer for your teammates while you’re doing it.”
In his first two seasons, Redick has already backed up that type of talk. He has shown he is unafraid to make significant rotation changes mid-season for reasons beyond injury. Christie is one example, but players like Dalton Knecht, Bronny James and Jake LaRavia can also attest that you are always earning your spot unless you are Doncic or Reaves.
This sort of healthy competition is a great way to keep players motivated and playing their best basketball, ensuring that the people on the floor are always giving their all. And with the amount of change that the Lakers made in the offseason, the rotation is going to be something of an experiment early in the season, and players will have to flexible with that.
JJ Redick lays out three goals for training camp
Redick explained what he wants to see from the Lakers before they take part in any meaningful games with three major goals and principles.
“We had a really productive August and September with our small group works,” Redick said after the Lakers’ first practice. “So in terms of installs and teaching for at least this portion of the preseason, it doesn’t really change anything. I have three goals for camp and it’s continue to establish our defensive principles. Continue to establish our early offense, which has been our main priority for all of September. And then lastly, just get in great shape. We’ve gotten terrific buy-in for the last several weeks and today was very additive to those three things.”
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
The Los Angeles Lakers are going to look completely different this year than they did last year. They have nine new players that weren’t on last year’s roster, meaning head coach JJ Redick will have to build out a rotation effectively from scratch. That includes two open starting spots around Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and new center Walker Kessler.
Training camp will play a major role in determining how the rotation looks to start the season, as the Lakers and Redick don’t have as much to go off of. Oftentimes though, these type of competitions can lead to players being selfish and looking out for themselves instead of the team.
But at the first Lakers practice of the season, Redick made it clear that players on this team will not have that attitude.
“I think these guys are committed to each other,” Redick said of the Lakers. “I don’t think that there’s finding a balance, I think it’s about creating competition. Recognizing that every guy’s gonna have an opportunity throughout the season. That’s just the reality of the NBA now. And I mean, things can change beyond a guy is just out with an injury.
“I mean, Max Christie, right? Our first year he was in the rotation, he was horrible to start the year. We told him that he wasn’t doing what we asked him to do, he didn’t play. And then when he got back in the rotation, he eventually earned a starting spot and turned our season around.
“So the competition, that’s what the league is. This is a meritocracy. If anyone tells you otherwise, it’s bullshit. This is a meritocracy. You gotta earn your minutes and you cheer for your teammates while you’re doing it.”
In his first two seasons, Redick has already backed up that type of talk. He has shown he is unafraid to make significant rotation changes mid-season for reasons beyond injury. Christie is one example, but players like Dalton Knecht, Bronny James and Jake LaRavia can also attest that you are always earning your spot unless you are Doncic or Reaves.
This sort of healthy competition is a great way to keep players motivated and playing their best basketball, ensuring that the people on the floor are always giving their all. And with the amount of change that the Lakers made in the offseason, the rotation is going to be something of an experiment early in the season, and players will have to flexible with that.
JJ Redick lays out three goals for training camp
Redick explained what he wants to see from the Lakers before they take part in any meaningful games with three major goals and principles.
“We had a really productive August and September with our small group works,” Redick said after the Lakers’ first practice. “So in terms of installs and teaching for at least this portion of the preseason, it doesn’t really change anything. I have three goals for camp and it’s continue to establish our defensive principles. Continue to establish our early offense, which has been our main priority for all of September. And then lastly, just get in great shape. We’ve gotten terrific buy-in for the last several weeks and today was very additive to those three things.”
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.