The start of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2025-26 season is just around the corner as Media Day is set for Monday, Sept. 29 with training camp and the preseason to follow.
This will be an important training camp for the Lakers as it is Luka Doncic’s first in the purple and gold. Their roster was put together on the fly after acquiring Doncic last season and as a result, this will be their first real opportunity to build chemistry on the practice floor.
The Lakers were able to address their roster needs this offseason by bringing in new players like Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia.
JJ Redick is also going into his second season as a head coach, so there will be no shortage of storylines to follow when the Lakers return to the practice court next week. With that being the case, our staff named what they will be watching for in the latest Lakers Nation Roundtable.
Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane):
In camp, I really want to see what the vibe is around the team. Is there a clear sense of what every player’s role is going to be and a willingness for players to execute within those roles? For example, Deandre Ayton is going to have to make defense and rim protection a bigger focal point of his game than in previous seasons, perhaps at the expense of some of his midrange offensive opportunities. Will Rui Hachimura transition to a bench role in order to provide more defense to the starting five? Are Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic able to take much-needed steps forward on defense as well?
The Lakers have, on paper, improved their roster over the summer, but to mitigate some of their weaknesses and maximize their strengths it’s going to take a team-wide effort.
Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA):
Two things I’m watching out for during training camp and over the course of the NBA preseason for the Lakers:
One, I want to see how Deandre Ayton fits into the fold, and I’m curious to hear what head coach JJ Redick has to say about the Lakers newcomer. Primarily, I want to hear whether Ayton is fully committed, showing effort and not being a distraction in the locker room.
Two, the next episode in the Dalton Knecht saga. Curious whether all the trade rumors and shaky status with the team are still impacting him like they did throughout Summer League. Knecht is a player who will be under the microscope moving forward, as he already faces pressure to prove his worth to the team in his second season.
Corey Hansford (@TheeCoreyH):
I am really curious to see which of the Lakers reserves steps up and stands out as must-play rotation pieces. Dalton Knecht had a rough Summer League, but we all saw him take over games at times as a rookie so the talent is still there. Can Jarred Vanderbilt finally provide just enough offensive punch to keep him on the court? Because the Lakers clearly need his defense. Is Jake LaRavia the two-way wing the team has been looking for? Will Marcus Smart return to his DPOY form of a couple seasons ago? Can Bronny James carve out a role as a point-of-attack defender? Can Adou Thiero contribute as a rookie?
The Lakers have a lot of intriguing pieces that can really make an impact, the question is who will force JJ Redick to make them a big part of the rotation
Matthew Peralta (@_MatthewPeralta):
Was the Maxi Kleber video of him throwing down windmills real or just an offseason thirst trap? In all seriousness, I think there’s still a lot of uncertainty regarding the backup center position and from the sound of it Kleber will have an opportunity to get real minutes. Let’s not forget that head coach JJ Redick threw Kleber out in a playoff game despite him missing so much time prior, so there’s an understanding that the outside shooting big man will be in the mix.
I have Jaxson Hayes holding onto the backup center role, but Kleber is at least a little intriguing from a spacing standpoint plus his experience playing with Luka Doncic.
Ron Gutterman (@RonGutterman24):
I’m most interested to see how Redick schemes this roster to be at least average defensively. The Lakers ranked towards the top of defensive rating after the Luka trade last season, but that team had Dorian Finney-Smith and struggled to maintain that scheme when a team had time to game-plan for it in the postseason.
This team has no real defensive stopper — unless Marcus Smart can turn back the clock a few years — leaving Redick a tough task to get playoff-caliber defense out of the roster as it stands. That, to me, is the difference between the Lakers being a back-end playoff team in the West and them being a true contender.
Matthew Valento (@matthewvalento):
What I will be monitoring during training camp is who the fifth starter will be. When Marcus Smart was signed, there was initial speculation he would start given his status of being a former Defensive Player of the Year. However, Smart has dealt with nagging injuries and the Lakers have struggled with three-guard lineups in the past. Starting Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Smart would make head coach JJ Redick strategize perimeter matchups more and the lack of size may cause issues.
Does that put too much pressure on Smart to contain the perimeter? Does it make LeBron James and Deandre Ayton exert more energy to protect the rim? I expect Redick will give Hachimura and Smart their opportunities to be a starter in the preseason and it will be interesting to see who emerges.
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