Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick recently made waves when he claimed that the current roster is “probably the first time in my three years here that I feel like the pieces actually fit together.” It was a fairly polarizing comment considering how talented Los Angeles has consistently been at the top of the proverbial hierarchy, with Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves all playing under Redick.
For as great as the stars have been, Redick’s assessment of the Lakers is fair—and the comments he made to clarify his viral statement only further cement his point as valid.
Redick's comments were perceived in a number of different ways, but the bottom line appeared to be that the complementary players actually suit the roles they'll be asked to play. It's a welcome change from the Los Angeles teams that had limited shot creation beyond the stars, no real rim protector, and a glaring lack of point-of-attack options on defense.
When asked to clarify what he meant about the Lakers' pieces finally fitting together, Redick highlighted those very points when he told Sam Amick of The Athletic that his stance is based on depth, balance, and optionality.
“When I said the pieces fit, that’s more about having depth, having multiple ballhandlers besides Luka and AR (in newcomers Colin Sexton and Quentin Grimes), having more shooting, more volume shooting, having an elite rim protector — the combination of all those pieces...And it’s having great wing defenders."
Redick continued:
“I really believe in our wing group. I believe in their defense. I believe in their ability to make open 3s. (But) you don’t become a championship team (in late September). You have to become one throughout the season.”
It's certainly fair to question if any team that loses LeBron James can truly improve over just one summer, but the Lakers' paper roster checks the boxes that Redick is describing.
Lakers finally have depth in multiple phases of the game
Los Angeles had an elite trio of ball-handlers, playmakers, and shot creators with Doncic, James, and Reaves running the show in 2025-26. Injuries derailed their momentum one too many times to overcome, but the potential was clearly there for an elite offense—and the Lakers proved it by ranking 10th in offensive rating despite the injuries.
The number of high-level ball-handlers beyond that trio was painfully thin, however, which created a degree of predictability and contributed to Los Angeles ranking smack dab in the middle of the league in turnovers.
In essence, the Lakers were at the mercy of their stars for just about everything on offense. That manifested in the second unit ranking No. 29 in the NBA in points per 100 possessions and dead last in assists.
That's where key additions such as Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton should play a pivotal role in providing the type of balance Redick alluded to.
JJ Redick's comment about pieces fitting is justified and fair
This past season, Mamukelashvili and Sexton combined to average 26.6 points and 5.2 assists per game, as well as 41.8 points and 8.1 assists per 36 minutes. That duo will now lead a revamped Lakers second unit in 2026-27.
Compounded by the addition of shooters such as athletic wings such as Cameron Carr and either Matisse Thybulle or Ziaire Williams—with one of the two likely to start—the Lakers have actual depth.
Carr, Quentin Grimes, Thybulle, and Williams also represent a massive step forward on the defensive end of the floor. In 2025-26, the Lakers lacked a true point-of-attack defender and often tasked off-ball specialists or solid-but-not-spectacular defenders with taking on opposing teams' best scorers.
Even if one were to remove Carr from the equation since he's unproven as a rookie, all three of Grimes, Thybulle, and Williams are established commodities on defense—and all three are already picking opponents up at full court.
Lakers finally have players who fit the roles that they're assigned
Perhaps the most transformative addition on the defensive front is starting center Walker Kessler. A season ago, Deandre Ayton was asked to be a defensive anchor and pick-and-roll threat. Ayton struggled to check those boxes due to the simple fact that it's not his natural style of play.
Though Kessler missed 77 games in 2025-26 due to surgery on his non-shooting shoulder, he ranked in the 99th percentile in rim protection and the 87th percentile in screen assists per 75 possessions in 2024-25, per Basketball Index.
Kessler is thus another example of how the players on the current roster actually fit the role they're going to be asked to play. In turn, Redick will no longer need to pull players out of their comfort zone to complete their assignments, but can instead rely on contributors who have already proven capable of doing what he needs from them.
Yes, some of those players have flaws, but the Lakers finally matched role and archetype this summer. In other words: "The pieces actually fit together.”
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