By selecting JJ Redick as head coach, the Los Angeles Lakers have embraced the need to adapt to the NBA’s current era. It’s unknown if Redick will succeed as a first-time locker room leader, but his understanding of the game and ability to educate viewers as an analyst have piqued the interest of some.
Redick’s players are starting to reveal how he intends to run his offence, around a month after he was formally hired as head coach of the Lakers.
Much can occur between now and the 2024-25 regular season, but Redick has been open about his goal to revamp the Lakers. He intends to install new systems on both ends of the floor and foster a culture of accountability behind closed doors.
In a recent interview with The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, Lakers guard Max Christie discussed what Los Angeles’ offence will look like under Redick and how he fits into the new coach’s system.
“Just being the person that can take some of the weight off of them, especially with my shooting ability and floor space. The beautiful thing about JJ, especially given how he played during his career, is that there will be a lot of free-flowing movement in our offence with cuts and pindowns and other stuff. That is what I have been working on at home, especially with the coaches in Vegas and California.
This comes after Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht revealed that Redick has spoken with him about moving more when the ball is not in his possession.
Max Christie shares light on JJ Redick’s offensive strategy
Redick has made it known that he wants the Lakers to shoot more threes in 2024-25. It’s just one aspect of what he intends to do differently than former head coach Darvin Ham, who appeared to resist the opportunity to embrace the outside shot.
In 2023-24, the Lakers had the eighth highest three-point field goal percentage in the NBA, but finished 28th in three-point field goal attempts.
By re-signing Christie and drafting Knecht, the Lakers demonstrated a strong commitment to developing in that area. Christie is a lifetime 37.8 percent shooter from beyond the arc after two NBA seasons, while Knecht made 39.7 percent of his threes with the Tennessee Volunteers in 2023-24.
The concept of a free-flowing offence encourages a greater emphasis on the outside shot, as more three-pointers will create more spacing.
Anthony Davis and LeBron James, franchise players, should gain greatly from this. Both were in the top ten in the NBA in points in the paint last season and should be able to score more effectively with more room to move on the drive or in post-up situations.
It should also benefit James, who will turn 40 early in the 2024-25 regular season and hit a career-high 41.0 percent from outside the arc in 2023-24.
With more off-ball movement, the Lakers should avoid relying on a single player to generate the majority of their offence. That could be the single most significant feature of this new paradigm, as Davis and James can have more offence created for them while bearing less of the load of creating for others.
It remains to be seen how this will play out and how much support Redick will receive, but this shift in thinking is welcome in Los Angeles.
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