6 Crucial Lakers who prove this isn't the same team from a season ago

JJ Redick

It's understandable to be worried about what a first-year head coach can immediately achieve with a veteran team that's led by two future Hall of Famers. Even if you're not high on JJ Redick, however, the Lakers should benefit from addition by subtraction.

The grace period will pass at some point and Redick will need to create a new culture and identity in Los Angeles, but as long as he learns from the mistakes that Darvin Ham committed as head coach, the Lakers should improve—both in the locker room and on the court.

Redick will need to put his stamp on the team at some point in the near future, but the first order of business is creating a happier locker room. Under Ham, there were numerous reports about discontent, due in no small part to his lack of communication with D'Angelo Russell after benching him during the 2023 Western Conference Finals.

That trend continued in 2023-24 when the likes of Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, and Russell were moved through the rotation in a manner that left the team unsettled behind the scenes.

Furthermore, the Lakers blatantly ignored the fact that they were one of the top 10 teams in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage by ranking 28th in attempts. Redick has already addressed that mind-boggling fact by stating that the Lakers will shoot more threes in 2024-25.

Redick is all-in on modernizing the offense, embracing the youth movement, and creating a culture of accountability, making him an on-paper upgrade—or, at the very least, a necessary breath of fresh air.

Sometimes, that's exactly what a team needs.