Last time we saw the Los Angeles Lakers, they were walking off the Crypto.com Arena embarrassed after dropping three consecutive games to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
Despite the disappointing ending to last season, head coach J.J. Redick and his new-look Lakers enter 2025 with a lot of optimism, accompanied by the typical high expectations that come with representing the purple and gold. With five-time first team All-NBA star Luka Dončić now the official face of the Lakers franchise and in the fold from the jump, there’s no debating the “Lake Show” will be must-see television this spring.
Defense Must Find A Consistent Rhythm
With a new year and a new roster to deal with, Redick knows developing winning habits and a championship mindset begins now in the dog days of preseason so that everything is automatic by midseason.
“We have three priorities this year and three priorities only, and that is championship habits, championship communication, and championship shape,” Redick said during his training camp opening press conference.
“There’s no shortcuts to this, there’s no shortcuts to success, there’s no shortcuts to having a good season, great season, whatever the league is too good. There’s too much talent out there; there’s too much balance you have to be committed to on a daily basis to those things.”
If the Lakers are going to have any realistic championship aspirations this season, they must be more consistent on the defensive end and figure out how to defend screen and roll actions with Dončić on the court. Despite being one of the best players in the world, Dončić has been one of the worst screen and roll defenders in the NBA most of his career.
On paper, it looks like the Lakers are more equipped to defend screen and roll actions thanks to signing Deandre Ayton, a 7-footer who is agile and capable of being an active disruptor on defense. After switching on 43 percent of the screens they encountered following the Dončić trade, the Lakers’ defensive efficiency will be under the microscope all season long, as the better they are on defense, the better the team will be overall.
What’s going to happen with Austin Reaves?
Even after having the best season of his young career, there’s a lot of chatter about Austin Reaves coming off the bench in a sixth-man role to begin the season. Some live by the adage that it’s not about who starts the game, but it is all about who ends the game, and although Reaves is slotted to close out games, we have no idea how much coming off the bench after a career year will affect him mentally.
It will be very interesting to see how Redick utilizes Reaves all season long, as he’s a clear asset that’s constantly improving.
How much does LeBron James have left in the tank
Despite no longer being the face of the franchise, James will still play a significant role in determining the Lakers’ success this season. On opening night, James will officially become the first player in NBA history to play 23 seasons, meaning there’s no precedent or example to use in determining how efficiently he will play this season.
Regardless of whether King James has a big statistical season or not this year, the main priority will and should be his health. The healthier James is in April, the better the Lakers’ chances are of making a deep playoff run and possibly bringing title 18 to LA.
