Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

It's early, less than a week in. But listen to JJ Redick and the rest of the Lakers, and it's clear they're working hard to forge a real identify on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, Redick has already talked about how the days of 1-5 switching are over with the arrival of Walker Kessler. It's going to look more like 1-4, but even then with some caveats. And just that change will make the Lakers look a lot different defensively. Add to that the constant talk of disruption and deflections and intensity, and you start to see what the vision is on defense.
Offensively, Austin Reaves said Wednesday that the Lakers are looking to use fewer ball screens, which makes sense given that their two primary weapons function well, if not better, without them. Reaves described a more "free flowing" offense, and Redick noted how they want to expand the playbook a little in their early offense beyond what they did last year.
Put it all together, and it feels like the Lakers want to take advantage of a roster that a) will be together (in theory) for a bit, and b) has a skill set they believe is more coherent.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: JJ is building out an identity, early.

SEGMENT 2: Early plans for the offense and defense.

SEGMENT 3: Why the Lakers can build it out a little faster.

PHOTO SEGMENT: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

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JJ Redick has some decisions to make, not just with the starting lineup -- while he says that only three of the five spots are settled (if we have to tell you which ones, you're probably at the wrong podcast), most people believe that Quentin Grimes is also very likely to start. So that leaves a fifth guy. Will it be Sandro Mamukelashvili? Ziaire Williams? Jake LaRavia? Matisse Thybulle, for that defensive presence? What about a wild card like Adou Thiero?
The decision Redick makes there will obviously have a ripple effect on the rest of the rotation. So he's likely thinking about which player combinations work best over the course of 48 minutes, not just who might be the "best" player available to him to fill that spot.
The good news for JJ is that the Lakers don't really have to worry about the politics that might go into the decision. None of the players he's choosing from are likely to rock the boat if they don't "win" the competition for the fifth starter?
According to our Locked On Lakers summer survey, fans are leaning now towards Williams, thanks to his defensive range and athleticism, and a degree of versatility despite a pretty thin frame.
Williams is also one of the role players fans are most excited to see, part of a group that should give Redick a chance to deploy players with a little more cohesion in skill sets. Whether you believe the parts are better this year than last, there's definitely an argument to be made that they fit together in ways that make more sense.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

PHOTO CREDIT: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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Two days into the Lakers season, one thing is clear: Walker Kessler is an extremely optimistic young man who believes in the inherent awesomeness of his teammates. So when Kessler said on Tuesday that he believes the Lakesr are going to have a "nasty" defense, and meant it in the most positive way possible, it definitely raised some eyebrows.
In his mind, the team's defensive quality is being underrated.
Determining whether he's right depends a little on how we're defining terms. Are the Lakers underrated in the sense that they're secretly goign to be a top five defense, taking the league by storm? Probably not.
But are they underrated in the sense that many folks feel like they could be a disaster on that side of the ball? That they're going to be worse than last year's ranking of (about) 20th, depending on who's data you use?
That's a different story.
Put last year and this year side by side, and it's actually quite reasonable to believe the Lakers are going to be better on that side of the ball this season. Mostly because of Kessler, but also because there should be a level of defensive cohesion that wasn't present a year ago.
So are the Lakers going to be "nasty" good, or "nasty" bad?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Kessler says the Lakers are going to be nasty.

SEGMENT 2: Are the Lakers better or worse this year on that side?

SEGMENT 3: Finding a coherent style of play.

PHOTO CREDIT: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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The Lakers have arguably the most elite offensive force in basketball in Luka Doncic, and that without question provides them a certain level of confidence every time they take the floor. They know as long as they have that guy, they have a chance to win, even on a night where the team isn't playing well.
But the larger questions around this team aren't on that side of the ball. People don't know if the Lakers, led by Luka and Austin Reaves, have enough defensive talent to thrive.
You wouldn't know that from the level of confidence expressed by Lakers players at Monday's Media Day, however. And that confidence can be boiled down to the presence of one guy: Walker Kessler. Luka noted how hard it is to play against Kessler, which was one big reason he wanted the former Jazzman on the Lakers. Quentin Grimes, Jake LaRavia, Zaiare Williams, Matisse Thybulle -- anybody expected to play a lick of defense on this squad noted how much more freedom they have to play aggressively knowing that Kessler is behind them.
Kessler's defensive metrics back up that confidence, but will it translate to higher pressure, higher stakes basketball now that he's in LA?
If the answer is yes, the Lakers will then have one of those dudes on both sides of the ball, and it'll make a big difference in their prospects.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

PHOTO CREDIT: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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The new-look Lakers made their season debut Monday with Media Day, and it definitely felt like the start of a new era. Lotsof new players, changing roles and shifting expectations around a team that is expected to be good, but not expected to contend.
But that's what media says. The players didn't talk about long term plans or rebuilding over time. They talked about winning this year, and expressed confidence in the talent on hand to get it done. There were a lot of themes that stuck out:
They all thought that trip to Slovenia was really valuable, even beyond obviously wanting to seem appreciative.
Luka is a draw. The role guys all seemed to understand what playing with Luka could do for them, and how he’ll make their lives easier.
Defensively there is a MAJOR vibe shift in terms of confidence players express, and that’s all Kessler. I realize some of it is seen as speculative and there’s a chance he doesn’t meet expectations, but THEY clearly believe they have one of *those guys* and that could make a significant difference in how they play.
It's a very likable group overall. Rob Pelinka noted last week it should be a group that fans enjoy cheering for, and I think media day reflected that.
Whether intentional or not, they have multiple core players who have had to really grind through uncertain circumstances to establish themselves as players in Reaves, Grimes and Mamu. I think that’s potentially really good for building a culture.
In combination with what we heard from Pelinka and JJ Redick last week, it definitely feels like the Lakers made strides in bringing in a group of people that can set a culture. Decent people and (hopefully) high end players that help usher in a new era in Lakers basketball.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The new look Lakers make their debut.

SEGMENT 2: Big themes!

SEGMENT 3: They believe in the potential of the group.

PHOTO CREDIT: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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