JJ Redick’s second season with the Los Angeles Lakers was unquestionably a successful one as they won 53 games and beat the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs despite being without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for a majority of the series.
Ultimately though, the Lakers met their demise in the second round when they were swept by the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Even without Doncic, that series showed how big the gap was between the two teams, and Redick knows that needs to be addressed.
“That’s what we gotta figure out this offseason,” Redick said after the Lakers’ Game 4 loss. “I will say for the things that we set out to do, build our championship habits and build our championship communication and championship shape, I thought we were darn close to doing that.
“And it doesn’t mean you’re gonna win a championship, but I take a lot of, I think I would say I take a lot of pride in our players, and what they all individually went through, what we collectively went through and what we turned out to be. You don’t know on day one of training camp what you’re gonna turn out to be, and I’m just proud of who we are.”
While Redick may be proud of his team and understands the importance of continuity, he also admitted the Lakers’ roster simply wasn’t good enough if the goal is to win titles.
“Yeah, I believe in continuity,” he said. “I do think that if you’re trying to win a championship, and this organization is. I’m trying to win a championship. I know [Rob Pelinka] is trying to win a championship, I know Jeanie [Buss] is, I know Mark [Walter] is. We’re trying to win a championship. So you have to be realistic and assess where you’re at, and we’re not good enough right now. There probably will be some continuity; there probably won’t be. But that’s what the next two months are for.”
The Lakers have cap space and draft capital to work with this offseason, so it will be interesting to see how Rob Pelinka shapes the roster around Doncic to give them a chance to compete. With only six players guaranteed to be under contract, the Lakers’ roster could look much different by the time training camp rolls around.
JJ Redick wants Lakers to keep Luka Doncic, LeBron James & Austin Reaves
While Redick knows changes are necessary, he wants it to be around the edges of the roster as he expressed a desire for Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves to all be back next season.
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