Lakers Have New 6-Word Motto at Training Facility

There's a recurrent theme running through the messaging on the displayed signage:

"Championship habits
Championship communication
Championship shape"

Clearly, head coach JJ Redick isn't messing around on the eve of his second season at the helm.

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Los Angeles isn't seen as being in the class of the Western Conference's most loaded squads — the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, the 2023 champion Denver Nuggets, and the two-time Western Conference Finals also-rans the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Still, the Lakers boast two Hall of Fame superstars still performing at an All-NBA level in 21-time All-Star power forward LeBron James and five-time All-NBA First Team guard Luka Doncic. Granted, James will be turning 41 in December, and is embarking on his third season as the league's oldest active player.

Shooting guard Austin Reaves, 27, still has an All-Star ceiling, too. In 73 games last year, the 6-foot-5 Oklahoma product averaged a career-most 20.2 points on .460/.377/.877 shooting splits, 5.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds a night.

More news: Lakers' Rob Pelinka Expects Deandre Ayton to Make Massive Impact

This summer, the Lakers brought in three key free agents to shore up their roster depth — and two of those moves are pretty encouraging.

LA upgraded its starting center spot, after former starter Jaxson Hayes flamed out in the playoffs. By the end of the Lakes' 2025 first-round series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Hayes was glued to the bench by head coach JJ Redick. Maxi Kleber, who hadn't played since being acquired as part of the Lakers' blockbuster midseason trade with the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic, was dusted off for a five-minute cameo in Hayes' stead.

Redick had gone small-ball, moving then-Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith to a starting role. Controversially, Los Angeles general manager Rob Pelinka let Finney-Smith leave in free agency to sign a four-year, $52.7 million deal with the Houston Rockets.

Los Angeles' Summer Improvements

But Pelinka brought in a major Hayes improvement — while also, somewhat surprisingly, opting to re-sign Hayes to a minimum deal. Former No. 1 draft pick Deandre Ayton, who was selected ahead of Doncic in 2018, inked a two-year, $16.2 million agreement with Los Angeles. It's a below-market steal for the Lakers.

When he's right, Ayton has been a solid two-way starter on a Finals team, the 2021 Phoenix Suns. Even during a down season last year, he averaged a 14.4-point, 10.2-rebound double-double in 40 healthy games with the Portland Trail Blazers. The 7-footer is an athletic finisher and defender around the rim, and a talented post player, but he can occasionally get disengaged. He needs to dial in for the Lakers to have success.

Los Angeles also signed sharpshooting forward Jake LaRavia on a two-season, $12 million free agent deal. The 23-year-old has been a bench rotation piece for the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings so far, but his career 37.1 percent 3-point rate holds plenty of appeal to LA. Last year, the 6-foot-8 pro made 42.3 percent of his 2.2 long range takes.

The Lakers also signed a very past-his-prime Marcus Smart, a former three-time All-Defensive Teamer who hasn't been able to stay healthy for the past several seasons as his 31-year-old body has broken down. He's a bit more of a flier option, but Ayton and LaRavia seem like they can really have an impact.

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