JJ Redick Doubles Down On Lakers Being Championship Contenders

JJ Redick appears to have no shortage of belief in the new-look Los Angeles Lakers. He made early comments about the roster being the best-fitting group in his three years at the helm of the franchise, and said that he sees the purple and gold developing into championship contenders this season.

The latter comment was particularly interesting, as it strays greatly from the general consensus around the Lakers. Most pundits have predicted L.A. to be a bottom-half playoff team that will win significantly fewer games than last year’s roster. But when asked if his belief in the team was more for PR than reality, Redick doubled down, using what he’s already seen as evidence, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic:

“I’ve watched these guys play,” Redick, whose playing career spanned from 2006 to 2021, told The Athletic. “I’ve played against these guys, or coached against these guys, and I’ve also gotten to see (them) at our vet minicamp in Vegas (in mid-July). I got to see it all of August and September.”

Redick referenced some of the more traditional championship contenders — the New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs — while saying why he sees L.A. carving a similar path:

“You’ve got to get things out in the open,” he said of his choice to share this vision so publicly at the start. “We look at this every day. I don’t sugarcoat it.

“Those teams (like New York, San Antonio and Oklahoma City) deserve to be perceived that way, (but) I don’t care. It doesn’t matter — the perception of us. We’re on our own path. We are on our journey. That’s exciting to me.”

It remains to be seen if the Lakers really have the ability to enter the contention tier with the Knicks, Spurs and Thunder. Questions still loom about the team’s playoff defense and health surrounding some of their top players. But Redick has a belief that hasn’t been present in either of his first two seasons, when the team won 50 or more games each year.

JJ Redick impressed with Luka Doncic’s conditioning

Above everything else, the Lakers will go where superstar Luka Doncic takes them. That’s why it was particularly exciting to see Doncic enter training camp slimmer than he’s been since his first two seasons in the NBA. Redick focused on his conditioning, as well.

“He’s great physically,” Redick said of Doncic. “That big, big guy worked his butt off all summer on staying in shape, and actually ran this summer. Like he actually did like sprints and stuff and came into camp in fantastic shape. I think for someone who normally plays a ton of basketball, live basketball, he didn’t do as much of that this summer by design. And I think we’ve seen him literally every day in camp, incrementally just get more and more in rhythm. So I think for him, throughout the preseason that’s sort of the gaol. It’s the goal for all the guys, but particularly for him is to continue to build that game shape and then continue to build his offensive rhythm.”