Forget about the good stuff. The Lakers want to be great.
That was coach JJ Redick’s halftime message to the Lakers Friday night. His frustration with the team’s lack of attention to defensive details first boiled over into several angry timeouts, then into a challenge for the team to improve.
The timing, with the Lakers leading what would eventually be a 119-102 win over Atlanta, addresses something that has been percolating behind the scenes for the last month: something the Lakers are actually worth investing in. It shows that it is possible.
The Lakers are 8-3 since the team added Max Christie to the starting lineup on Dec. 8. He ranks sixth in the NBA in defensive efficiency during this period. Their offensive power has awakened in the past seven games. And the acquisition of Dorian Finney-Smith, one of the best role players available on the trade market, not only gives clues as to the type of team they’re trying to build, but also gives Austin Reaves a top player. It also paved the way for what he wanted to become. The team’s third star.
All of this is falling into place for Reddick, general manager and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and the organization. With the NBA trade deadline still a month away, league officials are curious about their next move and what direction the Lakers will take heading into the Feb. 6 trade deadline. are.
Rival executives believe the Lakers will move differently than they thought earlier this season, rather than desperately searching for a third star or committing to a starting-caliber center. are.
The emergence of third-year guard Max Christie (12) as the starter has allowed Austin Reeves (14) to take on the role of third offensive weapon.
(Wally Scully/Los Angeles Times)
Christie gave the Lakers the defensive speed and shooting they needed in the backcourt, and played away from sensitive trade conversations. And the Lakers’ resistance to a third highest-salary contract has only grown since the Russell Westbrook debacle, with the constraints of new salary cap rules making that kind of roster construction more of an albatross than a luxury. are. (Sorry, Jimmy Butler fans.)
The consensus early in the season was that the Lakers would play with Anthony Davis or actively pursue a center to play behind him, but with the acquisitions of Finney and Smith, that seems unlikely. It seems to me.
The Lakers have long been linked to players like Washington’s Jonas Valanciunas, who is the team’s target in free agency this summer, but the Lakers want someone faster, more athletic and more capable. A dynamic that reveals that the need to be big is not as important as the desire.
Teams, including the Lakers, have expressed interest in Utah center Walker Kessler, but NBA circles believe he is not available in a realistic trade scenario, and Utah has one of the top rim protectors in the NBA. I chose to leave it until the deadline.
The team likely also used the most viable trade chip, D’Angelo Russell’s expiring contract, in the Finney and Smith deals.
Several rival executives believe the Lakers should invest some of their limited draft capital (and tradeable contracts) on players who hold them back and have limited roles in playoff series. He said he thought there was no such thing. Most of the time at center will be dominated by Davis.
The Lakers, and Redick have said so, need more toughness, but finding it on the perimeter rather than in the paint seems to be the goal.
The Lakers’ offense has skyrocketed over the past seven games, and they’ve done so while ranking at the bottom of the league in 3-pointers made. Shooting and athleticism on the perimeter, especially targeting players who can operate off the ball, is something the Lakers should focus on. Rival scouts and executives agree, and are quick to point out that nearly every competing team is looking to add an athletic shooter to their roster.
Rather than rushing to sign a backup big man, the Lakers want to actually see what their second unit will look like when Jared Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent take the court together. There is. That only happened once before the season.
And Finney-Smith is a tough, switchable, defensive-minded player who can make a ton of corner threes. He’s the kind of player Redick wants in his system, and after three games (and zero actual practices), it’s hard to see how comfortable Redick is coaching his former teammate in Dallas. It’s obvious.
After the win against the Hawks, he took issue with him by name, directly blaming him for his defense in the first half, while going out of his way to praise his resilience in the second half.
LeBron James’ recent play should also be considered. His one-week absence at a time when the Lakers were on an 8-3 winning streak led to him playing at an All-NBA level after celebrating his 40th birthday last week. If this level is sustainable to some extent, the Lakers have a better chance of becoming a “great” team.
“Honestly, we’re a long way from (greatness),” Reeves said after the Lakers defeated Atlanta. “But everyone is working towards it in the right direction.”
Sunday’s game in Houston will be a really tough one, with the Lakers having to overcome a disadvantageous matchup due to the Rockets’ size and athleticism. And on Tuesday, against a starved Dallas team playing without Luka Doncic, the Lakers’ defense will have to consistently address the kinds of details it failed to do early Friday.
The Lakers then play their next eight games in Los Angeles. This is a real chance to establish these four weeks as more than just a passing season.
The changes the Lakers have already made to their roster will ultimately determine whether they move on – if at all.
