Despite bringing back an almost identical roster from a season ago, the 2024-25 Los Angeles Lakers have been impossible to diagnose heading into training camp. The organization made a change at head coach that has created a ripple effect that could alter the very DNA of the team.
It's an admittedly ambitious hope, but the Lakers are already showing signs of change that could permeate throughout the organization.
Los Angeles replaced Darvin Ham with JJ Redick earlier this summer, and the energy surrounding the franchise instantly changed. Redick has wasted no time whatsoever in laying out his plans, installing pieces behind the scenes to carry out a vision that couldn't be any more different from how the 2023-24 team operated.
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Lakers shooting guard Max Christie used an intriguing word to describe Redick's vision for the team and the effect it's having: Coherent.
"It was kind of the first time that we all really got together as a team in one setting. JJ and the staff had a big presentation for us about kind of like team values, ground rules ... so we can kind of wrap everybody around an identity that we want to have as a team so we're one coherent unit."
The 2023-24 season was a tale of a 60-40 split that unfortunately favored the opposition, making a more consistent and coherent 2024-25 campaign a thrilling proposition.
Lakers building a coherent unit with a shared team identity
The Lakers entered February of the 2023-24 campaign at 24-25, completing the first 49 games—59.8 percent of the regular season—at a below-average pace. The final 33 outings, however, were a more accurate depiction of what the team was capable of achieving.
During that 33-game window—accounting for 40.2 percent of the regular season—Los Angeles was 23-10.
Prior to February 1, the Lakers ranked No. 17 in the NBA in winning percentage, and No. 20 in net rating and offensive rating. From February 1 until the end of the regular season, it was No. 3 in offensive rating, No. 5 in winning percentage, and No. 12 in net rating.
It was a shining example of the inconsistency that defined Los Angeles' season, as it could look like anything from a championship contender to a lottery-bound franchise depending on the month.
The results were indicative of what went wrong, as Los Angeles was uncoordinated on defense and unimaginative on offense. Despite having two players who earned All-NBA nods in 2023-24, including the only player in the NBA to receive All-NBA and All-Defense honors, the Lakers were perpetually in shambles.
Injuries played a massive role, as key reserves Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent appeared in a combined 40 games, but Los Angeles was often an incoherent mess regardless of who was available.
The final 40 percent of the season proved that a more cohesive unit could play at the same level as their fellow contenders. Unfortunately, the first 60 percent was too much to overcome for an ideal postseason seeding and fostered poor habits that reared their head come the playoffs.
As Redick begins his first season as head coach of the Lakers, the goal of creating a team that operates as one consistent, coherent unit is as welcome a sign as any.