The Los Angeles Lakers spent this past offseason making some of the boldest roster moves in recent memory. With the front office pulling the trigger on big-name additions such as Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia, fans entered the preseason believing that the purple and gold were poised to bounce back in a major way.
But the opening night of the 2025-26 preseason told a different story. Despite all the reinforcements, the Lakers stumbled badly in their debut as they fell (103-81) to the Phoenix Suns. It was a defeat that left head coach JJ Redick with a blunt admission about where his team currently stands.
JJ Redick’s Message Regarding the Current State of the Lakers
Redick spoke to the reporters after the loss and he didn’t sugarcoat the situation. While he stressed that he wasn’t expecting perfection in the first game the second-year Lakers coach admitted that the effort and cohesion weren’t where they needed to be.
He pointed out that the Suns had been together longer which gave them a sharper rhythm and stronger execution at this early stage of the season.
“I’m not expecting perfection in a preseason game, but there’s room for growth in some areas. The reality and this is not an excuse this is quite literally reality, they (the Suns) had 19 guys had 19 guys in the gym all of September, they did their installs similar to how we did last year in September.”
“They were able to get a lot of their installs in, and they had seven practices. They’re ahead of us from that perspective. They have more stuff in,” said Redick during the postgame interview.
This candid assessment caught some fans off guard, especially considering that just days earlier Redick had highlighted the team’s goal of reaching what he called “championship shape.” At the time Redick had explained that the Lakers were focused on conditioning both physically and mentally to sustain a deep playoff run.
“We’ve asked all our guys to be in championship shape. And not starting on Tuesday. And so, the commitment level across the board from our team has been very high this summer. We’ve had organized workouts,” said Redick during a previous press conference.
Yet against Phoenix on Oct. 3, that championship mindset was nowhere to be found, as the Suns outclassed Los Angeles from the opening tip.
The game itself showcased why Redick was willing to acknowledge that rivals like Phoenix are ahead of his squad right now. The Suns came out aggressive and they combined sharp perimeter shooting with disciplined defense.
Devin Booker led the charge with a game-high 24 points and added seven assists to keep the offense humming. If we see Grayson Allen also chipped in with 13 points and knocked down three three-pointers, while Dillon Brooks made an immediate impact in his Suns debut as he contributed 10 points and was steady play on both ends.
Phoenix as a team looked crisp as they tallied 29 assists on 38 made field goals. Their ball movement and spacing consistently dismantled Los Angeles’ defense. On the flip side the Lakers couldn’t find any offensive rhythm as they shot just 31.1% from the floor with only 10 assists. It can be said that for most of the night, it felt like a mismatch in energy, execution and chemistry.
While it’s merely preseason Redick’s candid acknowledgment serves as both a reality check and a rallying point. It remains to be seen how the squad performs on October 5 against the Golden State Warriors.
