Have the Lakers Actually Improved under JJ Reddick?
Overreacting to the first two months.
Before I start today’s topic, I just want to briefly explain where I have been and the state of this page.
I have been busy the entire year due to university and have just arrived at summer break. Thankfully, this means I now have time to write up some new blogs and posts, but it also means that I have a lot of things to catch up on. Due to my busy life, I am a bit behind in my stats awareness and overall narrative lore of both the NBA and NFL, aside from the biggest headlines. Hopefully, over the next few weeks, I can re-engage with the leagues and regain momentum from last year. I also have some fun pop-culture posts lined up to post, so keep an eye out for them.
Written BEFORE the loss to the OKC Thunder on 30/11/2024 (NZT)
A recurring problem over the career of the LeBron James team has been redundant coaches. Whether you agree or disagree with the decisions of the Lakers front office in recent years, the complaints and lost locker room were reason enough to dictate a coaching change from Darvin Ham. Instead of taking a traditional root of hiring a free agent coach or an assistant coach, the Lakers hired former elite NBA shooter turned podcaster and broadcaster JJ Reddick. Throughout the first two months of the league, the Lakers are in roughly the same spot record-wise, but many believe they are in a different spot form-wise. Let’s take a look and see if JJ Reddick has improved the Lakers.
These stats have been chosen for specific reasons. Firstly, the defence and offence should be contrasted. More importantly, hustle-based and shooting-based stats have been selected as hustle was a vital part of the Laker identity in previous years, and shooting is JJ Reddick’s specialty.
Most notably, the shooting % of the Lakers has improved under the tutelage of Reddick. The 3P% amongst the rest of the league jumped from second to last to the middle of the pack. One of the critical reasons for this drastic improvement has been the addition of rookie Dalton Knecht, the sharpshooting #17 pick making a case for ROTY.
However, these offensive improvements have come at the cost of hustle and defensive effort. Unfortunately, these stats are also backed up by angry interviews by Reddick, where he has repeatedly stated that he wishes to see the Lakers put in more effort defensively. There is little doubt that this fall in the defensive effort is due to Jarred Vanderbilt's sidelining. However, Vando did not play in those first 20 games for the Lakers last season. So, his absence is not a valid excuse for the lack of defensive effort on the Lakers. This lack of defensive effort points to a critical flaw in the Lakers team: lack of defensive wings.
During previous successful Laker stints, they have had the privilege of having vets like Green, Bradley, a younger Caruso, and multi-championship winner KCP. Unfortunately, on the defensive side of the ball, D’Lo, Reaves, and Christie do not compare. While it could be argued that Vincent and Christie have some defensive value, their inability to provide reliable offensive production leads to limited minutes on the court.
If the Lakers want to shift from pretenders to contenders, or if you consider the Lakers to be contenders, roster changes need to be made to make the shift to that next level. A reliable backup centre and defensive wings need to wear that purple and gold uniform.
Outside of these stats, Reddick is faring better than Ham from an eye-test perspective. Reddick has made several starting lineup changes, and one of the vital successful changes has been implementing Knecht into the starting lineup. Offensive production skyrocketed when Knecht began on the court, as opposed to the bench production when he started the game sitting. Cam Reddish has been moved around for defensive reasons and is now getting regular minutes, whether he starts or is coming off the bench. A more significant focus on getting AD the ball has led to AD jumping out ahead in the MVP race (although he has not been putting up MVP numbers lately, and at the time of editing, this includes the OKC loss.) The shift in offensive focus has led to better offensive production and is a crucial reason for the Laker's PPG increase. That being said, Reddick could have been flawless; questionable lineup decisions, substitutions and missed adjustments are still a part of the game. However, like most rookie coaches, Reddick’s game management is improving, and to most reactionary Laker fans, it is a welcome change to see a coach call a timeout when an opposing team goes on a run.
Overall, many Laker fans should be pleased at Reddick’s first 2 months as an NBA coach. Is it a perfect solution? No. However, many of Reddick's problems cannot be put entirely on him. Pelinka and the front office need to make a change in the roster. Whether shifting D’Lo and Vincnt or giving up on Vando/Wood while they are sidelined, a change at the defensive wing position needs to happen.
Thank you all so much for reading. Like I said at the start, I hope I can churn out a few posts while I have time at home over the summer. I might delve into NFL and Rugby writing and expand the writing arsenal on top of the film, and pop culture posts.
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