The Los Angeles Lakers have spent the better part of the past decade searching for the quickest path to success. It's an approach that has enabled the franchise to strike gold and expedite its contending timeline, but has also resulted in overwhelming inconsistency.
As first-year head coach JJ Redick makes the media rounds ahead of the 2024-25 season, he's clarified that his vision of sustainability is being met with action.
Los Angeles won a championship in 2019-20 and reached the Western Conference Finals in 2022-23. Unfortunately, it missed the playoffs in 2021-22, and lost in the first round in both 2020-21 and 2023-24—clear signs of poor infrastructure as far as sustainable team-building is concerned.
In a recent appearance on The Lowe Post with Zach Lowe, Redick addressed a manner in which he hopes to overcome that inconsistency, addressing how he wants the Lakers to set the standard for how the G League is utilized and valued in the NBA.
"We hired Zach Guthrie...All we have talked about in the interview process with him and since he's been on board is creating synergy and integration. So the G League is not a demotion by any stretch. We are in the same building. We should be the model for integration between the NBA team and the G League team."
The G League has been an enigmatic endeavor on the NBA's behalf since it was founded in 2001, but it's yielded remarkable results for the franchises that know how to value it.
JJ Redick wants Lakers to be model for integration between NBA, G League
The G League has hosted players such as two-time All-NBA honoree Pascal Siakam, three-time All-Star Khris Middleton, and former All-Defense honoree Danny Green. Among the most successful franchises, it often operates as a platform for young players to hone their craft or ease their way back into playing shape after an injury.
The Lakers have seen what the developmental league can do for players, with the likes of Alex Caruso, Gerald Green, and Gary Payton II all donning their G League colors.
The hope in Redick's camp appears to be that there's a more symbiotic relationship between the Los Angeles and South Bay Lakers than in years past. With a deep cast of young players with untapped potential, the G League should operate as a means to prepare them for NBA minutes.
Rather than viewing it as a demotion, Redick wants players to understand that spending time with the South Bay affiliate would be an opportunity to learn and improve.
The Lakers' 2024-25 G League roster is flush with players who will have an opportunity to earn NBA minutes. That includes centers Colin Castleton and Christian Koloko, who could help address the need for depth behind Anthony Davis.
It could also be an option for the Lakers to keep their younger players in game shape if their place in the rotation isn't as solid as they would prefer it to be at points of the 2024-25 season.
Perhaps the biggest name who will see G League action this coming season is Bronny James. James was selected at No. 55 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft and has been labeled as something of a project player going into his rookie campaign.
If Redick is successful in his endeavor to make the G League an extension of the NBA team, rather than a distant affiliate, then the Lakers could begin the process of launching a top-tier player development program.