As the Los Angeles Lakers enter the first season of the JJ Redick era, calls for change are coming from every angle. D'Angelo Russell has been at the heart of those pleas, with trade rumors being met with a positive response from Lakers fans who hope to see him leave.
Before the Lakers go too far in on a Russell trade, however, it's important to note that the current core has looked the part of a contender—when it's been enabled to.
It's a bold claim for a team that lost in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, but it's one worth evaluating further. For starters, losing in the first round requires context—such as the Lakers simply not knowing how to defeat the Denver Nuggets in specific.
Before running into the team that has its number, however, Los Angeles was beginning to look like the team that reached the 2023 Western Conference Finals.
One of the core reasons for that surge in late-season success was the fact that the Lakers returned to the lineup that got it to the Conference Finals. It was a decision that was made too late to save Los Angeles from the Play-In Tournament, but it yielded elite results nonetheless.
As Redick, the Lakers' first-year head coach, looks for ways to fix an offense that ranked No. 15 in offensive rating, he should start by emphasizing what's already working.
The Lakers' core five has overcome coaching to play at an elite level
The Lakers entered February of 2024 with a 24-25 record and an offense that ranked No. 20 in the NBA at 113.4 points per 100 possessions. It also entered February with Taurean Prince routinely starting over Rui Hachimura.
From February 1 to the end of the regular season, however, the Lakers went 23-10 and ranked No. 3 in the NBA at 118.4 points per 100 possessions.
It's far from a coincidence that Hachimura returned to the starting lineup on February 3. With a consistent lineup of Anthony Davis, Hachimura, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and Russell—the same starting five that took the Lakers to the 2023 Western Conference Finals—Los Angeles played like a genuinely elite team.
During that 33-game period, Los Angeles defeated the likes of the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Philadelphia 76ers.
The offense fell apart during the playoffs, with the Lakers blowing four halftime leads en route to a 4-1 postseason loss to the Nuggets. The team's best starting lineup was sparingly utilized in 2023-24, however, leaving fans to ponder what could've been had Los Angeles emphasized its five best players from day one.
Before the Lakers trade Russell or relegate him to the second unit, Redick should give serious consideration to offering this starting five one last chance to prove they can be elite.
A Conference Finals appearance and a top-three ranking in offensive rating seem to suggest it's possible.