In his rookie season as head coach of the Lakers, J.J. Redick gave clear insight into his basketball philosophies and what players he’d favor for minutes.
The playoffs have a way of revealing all truths, especially when the season is on the line. They not only bring a player back to comfortable tendencies but also impact a head coach in the same manner. For the Lakers’ rookie head coach J.J. Redick, it highlighted which players and skill sets he trusts in the most crucial moments, providing insight into how the Lakers should approach this summer.
No matter how much pedigree they come in with, every rookie NBA head coach will experience their ups and downs throughout a season. Redick is no different.
In his first year, he led the team to a 50-win season before bowing out in five games to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
One philosophy Redick believes in is five-out spacing. As games down the stretch of the regular season became higher stakes, Redick went to more non-center lineups, benching their only playable center in Jaxson Hayes regularly.
Even before the blockbuster deal for Luka Dončić, the Lakers made a significant roster shift by trading guard D’Angelo Russell for forward Dorian Finney-Smith. This provided Redick the piece to unlock his small ball groups.
These groups prioritize space over size, as demonstrated below. Watch as Doncic brings the ball up in semi-transition while every player runs to a spot outside the 3-point line. Notice the spacing, as no player fills the dunker spot right near the rim.
Finney-Smith catches the ball, sets up on the wing and drains the 3-pointer. This trade-off of size for space became lopsided in the postseason. LA was dominated in the paint, on the boards, and could not reach an athletic baseline to compete against the Wolves.
This vision aligns with that of head coach Joe Mazulla in Boston, who often utilizes a spaced five, which helped win a championship a season ago. The difference is that Boston rotates big men like Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis in that position, while the Lakers’ talent was built more to place their forwards there.
This idea will be a point of contention for LA this summer. As players become available via trade or free agency, their ability to fit into a five-out system will influence the Lakers’ pursuit of them.
The G League serves as a space for development and the best organizations use it to uncover hidden gem rotational players. The Lakers discovered journeyman Jordan Goodwin, who bounced around between three teams in four years before joining the South Bay squad.
Goodwin received a call-up and eventually not only earned a standard contract, but minutes in both Redick’s regular season and playoff rotation. He displayed a skillset that Redick clearly understands he needs, even if he’d hope it didn’t need to come from a player off a two-way deal.
A tenacious defender with long arms and excellent timing on deflections and on the boards. Goodwin played into the defensive style Redick favors, which is employing a heavy switching scheme. All players become interchangeable in their defensive disposition.
Watch below as Goodwin switches on to Keldon Johnson, who initially was defended by Jarred Vanderbilt.
Goodwin was one of the few Lakers who could not only create havoc on the perimeter but also use a low center of gravity to avoid being bullied on the block. He had no problem battling with bigs down low for contested rebounds, even wearing a mask in anticipation of blows to the face.
He’s a great story and find, but Goodwin surpassing Lakers in high-level deals highlights the necessity of this skill set — something the team will need to address for their head coach next season.
Finally, it wouldn’t be a Redick team without the need for more shooting. The Lakers selected Dalton Knecht at the No. 17 pick, where reportedly Redick was already drawing up plays for the young guard before he stepped onto an NBA floor.
Knecht not only made the Lakers rotation early, but even started games from November to early December. It’s no shock Redick would have an affinity for shooting, but Knecht was also a necessity to bank early victories.
He showed the ability to get inferno hot from 3-point territory, exploding for 27 and 37 points in wins. He gave LA the option for a movement shooter who had some off-the-bounce versatility.
In short, he opened Redick’s playbook. Watch below as he comes off two screens to hit the pull up jump shot.
Knecht embodied many of the issues for LA, where he primarily served as a one-dimensional player. His offense often failed to compensate for his defensive shortcomings as teams consistently targeted him on the defensive end.
His minutes dropped significantly as the season wound down and the importance of the games increased. Whether that was completely due to defensive issues or still feeling the impact from the rescinded Mark Williams trade is unclear, but his skill set void was undoubtedly felt in the playoffs. The sharpshooter played four minutes total in the five playoff games, completely phased out of the rotation.
The Lakers don’t need every player to fit perfectly into the idea of basketball Redick envisions, but rowing in the same direction as your coach is extremely vital to any organization’s success.
LA hired Redick just days before the NBA draft a year ago. With more time this summer to deliberate moves, LA and Redick should be on more similar pages with the roster next season.