In JJ Redick's debut, the Lakers show their potential: “We trust him”

LOS ANGELES – When Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick sat down at the podium after the game, his always-coiffed hair was wet and disheveled. Water dripped down his face as he shook his head like a dog after a bath.

Redick has often preached process over results, and the Lakers' 110-103 season-opening victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena was an early endorsement of Redick's approach. The result was Redick's first career win – and a chilling shock to his players.

Nearly four months after the Lakers signed him, Redick helped them end their seven-game losing streak on opening night. Los Angeles is 1-0 with its first opening win since 2016 – when starter D'Angelo Russell and Timberwolves forward Julius Randle were considered the future of the franchise.

The key difference for a Lakers group that returns 13 of 15 players from last season's roster is Redick and his coaching staff, who have seemingly pushed all the right buttons since the start of training camp. From their preseason dinner meeting that set clear expectations and ground rules, to daily one-on-one meetings with players, to thorough preparation and attention to detail, Redick immediately earned the trust and approval of his players, on and next to the place.

“The game plan, the plans he had on both ends of the floor, he trusts us,” Anthony Davis said. “We trust him in terms of what he teaches us, what he expects from us on both sides, and it's our job to make it happen. “I think we were very well prepared tonight.”

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After just two halves in the preseason and their planned rotation, it was unclear how the Lakers would fare in the season opener. It's also one thing to do this in training or even preseason; It's quite another to make it in a regular season game against the best defense in the league. This was essentially the dress rehearsal the Lakers never got in a friendly.

Considering all the attention on LeBron and Bronny James officially playing together for the first time – and the Lakers' track record of losses in James' milestone games – it's easy to see how this game could have gone sideways for the Lakers .

Instead, they delivered a convincing victory — taking a commanding lead in the second quarter that they would never relinquish despite Minnesota's second-half surge — and reminded the league that they were a legitimate threat in the deep Western Conference.

“As a coach and for our coaching staff, it's really encouraging that our guys can pick up on things and then execute,” Redick said of the team's quick grasp of its preparations for the Minnesota game.

No player embodied that attitude more than Davis, who posted 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, one steal and three blocks in 38 minutes. Davis led the Lakers in shot attempts (23) and free throws (15) by a wide margin as he took on a more high-stakes offensive role alongside his extensive defensive duties.

In a game that also featured James, Anthony Edwards, Randle and Rudy Gobert, Davis was clearly the best player on the floor.

“AD was phenomenal tonight,” Redick said. “I felt like he attacked the game in the right way.”

The Lakers' primary ball handlers made it a point to always find Davis, rarely managing to play more than a few times without him at least touching the ball, if not directly creating a shot for himself or a teammate. For Davis, this meant more ball contact in the elbow area and above the arc, as he directed the offense as a handoff and screening hub who could also attack off the dribble or with his jumper.

Davis thrived at all three levels and enjoyed his matchup with Gobert, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Davis talked about Gobert several times after shooting over him or blocking his shot out of bounds, indicating he was the most dominant player in the game.

“I think this is a good first step to see how (JJ) wants me to play and how he wants me to be the focal point and kind of orchestrate the offense,” Davis said.

There have been rumors in the past that James would eventually pass the torch to Davis, but that hasn't actually happened yet. However, from the moment he was hired, Redick has publicly empowered Davis and said he would like to run more offenses through him. This happened on Tuesday and showed that Redick's claims were not hollow.

“He is the most important point of contact for us on both offense and defense,” said James. “And we need to make sure we continue to engage him. … It’s our job as ballhandlers to continue to feed them and find them. And AD did what AD is doing tonight. … Just one loss of the ball for all the effort he had tonight. It’s a big time.”

Redick insisted on modernizing the Lakers' shot selection, placing more emphasis on 3-point attempts. The Lakers continued to struggle with shots early in the season, making just five of their 30 3-point attempts (an attempt number below last season's 28th average of 31.5 attempts per game). No player managed more than a 3.

But that meant the Lakers scored 72 paint points (compared to just 40 for Minnesota) and attempted 25 free throws. They also gave up inefficient 2-point shots: Of the Lakers' 95 shots, only six were outside the zone but inside the 3-point arc – the dreaded mid-range area that Redick is trying to carve out.

“We were able to get good shots in the paint,” Redick said. “You can want to shoot a lot of threes, but if you can get good shots in the paint, that’s a good offense for us.”

The Lakers made up for their poor shooting by winning the possession battle, an area they often lost last season. Their structure and attention to detail on offense resulted in them turning the ball over just seven times – fewer turnovers against the Timberwolves than any other opponent last season.

They also grabbed 15 offensive rebounds — led by four from Austin Reaves — and forced 16 Minnesota turnovers. This allowed the Lakers to take ten more shots than the Timberwolves, which may have been the difference in the game.

“We can make up for poor shooting nights from the 3 when we have more possession,” Redick said.

The Lakers are often left out of national conversations about the next tier of Western Conference playoff teams behind Oklahoma City, Denver, Dallas and Minnesota. But they should be on par with Phoenix, Memphis, Golden State, New Orleans and Sacramento this season – if not ahead of some or most of those teams. They have the best duo in this group and arguably the best starting lineup.

Los Angeles was in the top three in offense in the second half of last season and finished the season 18-6 with its current starting lineup. They had the talent – ​​they just needed more structure and creativity on both sides of the ball. Redick has provided that boost, so the Lakers' bet on their first head coach seems smart so far.

Redick's message to his team after the game, after they doused him with water, was to stay balanced – not to overreact or forget how much focus, preparation and effort it took to win the game.

But make no mistake: The Lakers passed their first test of the season with flying colors, executing Redick's process-oriented vision almost perfectly.

“We all believed in what he was trying to build,” Davis said. “I like him a lot and I like what he's trying to build here, what he's doing. Now it’s our job as players to kind of embrace what he’s preaching and try to keep that going.”

(Photo of JJ Redick and LeBron James: Adam Pantozzi / NBAE via Getty Images)