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Lakers' New Practice Regime Showcases Excitement Around JJ Redick

The Lakers' new practice regime showcases the excitement level around new head coach JJ Redick.

Matt Levine

Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
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As the Los Angeles Lakers get their new NBA season going, they are trying to build something special this year. They were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last season and are looking to push the envelope even further this time.

The team has a new head coach in former NBA guard JJ Redick and the excitement level has been great. During the Lakers' recent practice, that excitement was shown greatly.

The Lakers did a bigs vs guards drill and the players seemed to really enjoy it. Redick even got in on the fun, guarding center Jaxson Hayes.

The vibe around the Lakers is as high as it has been in years and a lot of that is due to the overall excitement around Redick coaching the team. Despite his lack of experience, Redick brings a deep knowledge of the game to the table and has stayed active in the NBA since he retired.

The Lakers still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading the charge and with them, they believe that they can take down any team. It may take some time for Los Angeles to fully gel under the system that Redick has put into place but it seems positive so far.

Davis was complimentary of the system after the first game of the season. He dominated against the Minnesota Timberwolves, helping to get the Lakers off to a good start to the year.

“Obviously, it’s going to grow and we are going to integrate more things within that,” Davis said after his first night running Redick’s offense. “But, I think this is a good first step of seeing how he wants me to play and how he wants me to be that hub and kind of orchestrate the offense in a sense.”

If Davis can play at a high level all season, the Lakers' chances would vastly improve. He is the catalyst for this team and showed it in the season opener.

Redick wants Davis to play more as a "hub" of the offense and Davis did so to perfection to open the year. He dropped 36 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and three blocked shots in the win.

Even though Davis likely won't put these numbers up each game, it's a good sign for the season. This team believes in itself and it all starts with the confidence that they have with Redick.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.

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