The Los Angeles Lakers have given JJ Redick the keys to one of the most complex jobs in professional sports. Los Angeles is simultaneously operating along two different timelines, with one focused on a long-awaited youth movement and the other factoring in LeBron James.
As Redick explores his options on both fronts, the single most important step will be the first task he's faced with: Incorporating the younger players into the rotation.
Los Angeles has received criticism for entering the 2024-25 season with effectively the same players as it had in 2023-24. It's a fairly valid complaint, as the only new additions to the 15-man roster were incoming rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James.
Context quickly reveals the fact that the Lakers spent a vast majority of the 2023-24 season with their second unit ravaged by injuries, but the need for internal improvement remains.
Gabe Vincent, who appeared in 11 games last season, and Jarred Vanderbilt, who played 29, will offer an instant change of pace from a season ago if they can remain healthy. Beyond that duo, however, is a remaining need for unproven up-and-coming players to begin to realize their potential.
In the event that Redick succeeds in helping the next generation of Lakers players find their fit in the rotation, the 2024-25 team will prove just how different it really is.
Lakers' second unit will go as far as the up-and-comers take it
At the heart of the Lakers' youth movement will be a group of perimeter players who represent the team's best opportunity to create new layers of depth. Chief among them is shooting guard Max Christie, who re-signed on a four-year, $32 million deal despite averaging just 14.1 minutes per game last season.
Christie, who has knocked down 37.8 percent of his three-point field goals through two NBA seasons, will be trusted to justify the investment by thriving in the role of a 3-and-D specialist.
Joining Christie will be Knecht, a 2024 first-round draft pick whom Redick has praised as having a jump shot in the top one percent of NBA players. Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Lakers' 2023 first-round draft pick, rarely played for Los Angeles as a rookie, but averaged 22.0 points, 5.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.3 three-point field goals made on .473/.432/.800 shooting in the G League.
That unproven trio could go a long way toward giving the Lakers options it simply didn't have off the bench or, in some regards, anywhere else in the rotation last season.
From a shooting perspective, the Lakers ranked No. 24 in three-point field goals made and No. 28 in three-point field goal attempts in 2023-24. Redick has made it abundantly clear that he wants Los Angeles to shoot more freely in 2024-25, and having sharpshooters along the wings will be essential.
Every starter sans Anthony Davis is an efficient three-point shooter, but the second unit needs help—and neither Vanderbilt nor Vincent is known for their outside shot.
Furthermore, the Lakers' second unit finished the 2023-24 season at No. 27 in offensive rating, and No. 28 in points per game and three-point field goals made. Vincent will help create dribble penetration, and he and Vanderbilt can shore up the defense, but the bench is short on proven options for perimeter offense.
If Redick successfully integrates the younger players into the rotation, that void could be filled. If he fails to, there's only so far that the second unit will be constructed to go.