JJ Redick appeared in front of the press after the game against Minnesota on Tuesday completely soaked. The Los Angeles technician was entitled to the traditional shower from his team, to celebrate the former shooter's first victory as coach. Against the Wolves, his Lakers offered a first fairly faithful glimpse of his precepts, which JJ Redick was able to welcome.
The new coach of the Californian franchise had made no secret of his playing philosophy since his arrival was made official. It's still only the first official match of the season, but his flock seem to have already got the message well. “ Our players really did a phenomenal job implementing our game plan. » rejoiced the “head coach” at a press conference. “ We have put a lot of things in place over the last three days, especially aimed at our opponent. But we also had 21 days of preseason to establish what we want. We postponed the implementation of certain things in a way. It's very encouraging as a coach and for our staff that the guys can pick up things and apply them after just a few practices. »
Put Anthony Davis at the center of the debate
First obvious lesson, the famous handover mentioned for several years between LeBron James and Anthony Davis as true leader of the team has rarely materialized as much as against the Wolves.
Omnipresent, the Lakers pivot was the pillar of his team on both sides of the field, and the player who touched the ball the most in the game (89 times, 16 more than his average last season) ahead of LeBron James, D'Angelo Russell or even Anthony Edwards.
Used as a facilitator in the systems, both for himself and for his teammates, “AD” was able to use his technique to torment the Wolves defense with his 36 points and 16 rebounds.
“ The game plan, the patterns we had on both sides of the field… JJ gives us confidencee ” summarizes Anthony Davis. “ We also trust him in everything he teaches us, what he wants us to do on the field in attack and defense, and it is our task to put it into practice. I think we were very well prepared tonight. »
Offensive rebounding, from words to action
Another great reason for satisfaction? JJ Redick wanted to see his players do much better on offensive rebounding to create more scoring opportunities after finishing last on average in this area last year.
Mission succeeded on Tuesday, and against a tough opponent in this area. Fifth best team in defensive rebounding in 2023/24 and in the Top 10 teams that leave the fewest second chances to their opponent, the Wolves were dominated at the Crypto.com Arena: 15 offensive rebounds for Los Angeles, three more only for the visitors, and ten more shots attempted for the locals.
JJ Redick had particularly insisted on the participation of his outsiders in the offensive rebound and was received five out of five: Austin Reaves captured four, Rui Hachimura and LeBron James three. “ Apart from a few long rebounds that they had in the third quarter and which our players let slip a little, they fought all evening and it's nice to coach a team that gives itself to this extent »reacted JJ Redick.
“ That's the first thing I said to the team, we have to be better in the battle for possession, this is how to do it » he continued. “ And they did it tonight. The offensive rebounds were very important, we were on the free throw line a lot, “AD” did a great job of that. We put ourselves in a position to win the match thanks to all that. » Especially since the Lakers achieved a small feat: losing only seven balls against one of the most aggressive defenses in the league last season.
The coach no longer wants new balls
Outside shooting, an area of progress also identified by coach Angelino, will not have been as successful. Because it was despite an ugly 5/30 that Los Angeles disposed of the Western finalists last May.
“ We can compensate for a complicated 3-point evening if we have more possessions » estimates JJ Redick. And the Lakers also had the parade to score. “ If you get quality shots in the paint, those are good attacks for us, especially with the players we have. Their racket was wide open in the second period. We took 19 3-pointers I think in the first half, which was on average what we want over the course of a game. »
To remedy the lack of skill, JJ Redick said he wanted to send a request to the NBA to no longer play with new balls, but balls that have already been used beforehand, which according to him is partly responsible for some failures. “ I am extremely serious. I don't understand why we play matches with new balls, they have a different touch and feel to a ball with a little wear. Do you think I'm joking? I'm a psychopath! »
Smiling, saying to himself “ comfortable, natural ” And ” without worry“, JJ Redick will have had an almost ideal first evening in his new costume. He was greatly helped in this by the disappointing performance of Wolves, in full adaptation. The Lakers coach also wanted to immediately calm the slightest excitement, advocating patience, even if it meant appearing cautious.
“ The group agrees that the season is a process, and that we are not going to fight for the title immediately. We have the support of the players, the staff, that's all we want for the moment. »
Before thinking about the end of the season, JJ Redick will at least have had a successful start. The Lakers had not won their inaugural regular season game since 2016!
