JJ Redick is feeling mighty good about his Los Angeles Lakers squad, and for a coach in the thick of preseason games, that’s saying something. While everyone knows preseason results are thoroughly meaningless, Redick is pleased with what he’s seen from his guys in the minutes that actually count.
The Coach’s Read on Preseason Work
Redick isn’t just blowing smoke. He’s really digging how the team looks, especially considering they’re still ramping up. “I like where we’re at,” Redick said after a win over the Kings. He’s all about getting guys those solid 20 to 21 minutes, just enough to get some live play reps in. The plan is to keep building up playing time over the next couple of games. Redick is super keen to get some news on player availability soon so he can finally see the team at full strength in at least one of these exhibition contests and let them build that crucial rhythm together.
Early Standouts and Good Vibes
The Lakers have actually looked pretty sharp against the Sacramento Kings in their preseason matchups. The offense has been slinging a ton of three-pointers, and we’ve seen some seriously impressive moments from Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. On the defensive end, the performance of the team’s wings has been a huge standout, showing off a new identity on that side of the ball. Sure, they had that one loss to the Warriors when they rested a bunch of players, but honestly, it’s easy to overlook that with how good they looked in the other two games.
One of those standout wings? Jake LaRavia. After kind of fading into the background last season, LaRavia has been balling out, looking as good as ever this preseason. He’s feeling the good vibes too, saying the team is playing “really good basketball on both sides of the ball.” LaRavia knows they’ll make mistakes and things might look sloppy sometimes, but he thinks their chemistry is just really good right now. They’re communicating well, helping each other, and most importantly, having fun together.
What’s Next for the Lakers
Look, playing well in Week 1 of the preseason means absolutely nothing if it doesn’t translate to the games that matter when the regular season kicks off. But you gotta admit, this has been a super encouraging start to what feels like a whole new era of Lakers basketball.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Silver Screen and Roll.
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