The Lakers look like a new team

Through two games, JJ Redick has the Lakers playing like a real contender.

The range of outcomes for JJ Redick, coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, was wide. It’s early days, but he has the Lakers playing legitimately high level basketball through two games.

The Lakers have beaten two top Western Conference teams, the Timberwolves and Suns, with convincing performances. It’s been on offense, where Redick has inputted a new, creative system, that we’ve seen the biggest difference.

Redick has the Lakers running actions that juice ball movement and create advantages. With Anthony Davis, LeBron James, or even Austin Reaves as a hub, they aim for side to side movement that puts defenders in a bind.

The point is not just to simply run a high pick-and-roll. In line with wider league trends, they get the defense moving with a hand-off, a flip, or a back-screen, so when the pick-and-roll comes, the defense is distracted.

Sometimes they score directly from that preliminary action:

AD’s screen for Gabe Vincent, sprinting through the paint, isn’t necessarily designed to generate an easy layup; more often, it serves to distract help defenders. But offenses that create player movement benefit from it. The play above is a bonus.

Other times, these sorts of off-ball screens pull defenders toward the hoop, opening up chances to attack closeouts. Watch AD punish Rudy Gobert for stepping toward D’Angelo Russell’s cut:

AD’s screen hits Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and with LeBron as a passer, Gobert worries about Russell getting a look at the rim. All of a sudden AD has space to work.

Reaves is an instant beneficiary of side-to-side movement and dribble hand-offs. His game is built around crafty dips and ducks, getting defenders on his hip and looking to pass or pump-fake. In this offensive infrastructure, Reaves can improvise shots late in the shot clock with two-man actions:

He gave Devin Booker problems all night with these sorts of stop and start moves. Jaxson Hayes, a backup center who’s never been known as a facilitator, has looked comfortable in these spots — catching hit ahead passes and flipping the ball to shooters like Draymond Green.

Davis has gotten more easy, manufactured buckets with pick-and-rolls that start with an advantage. Take this double-drag with Reaves against the Suns, a play they scored on multiple times:

They’re targeting Jusuf Nurkic’s footspeed and rim protection. They didn’t do this as much against Gobert and the Wolves. It’s smart situational playcalling.

The trickle-down impact of this new system is a more egalitarian offense, with empowered, engaged role players. LeBron hasn’t had to overexert himself — and potentially has a result, has played energetic defense. The plays they’re running generate paint touches and kickouts, getting the machine moving and letting more players touch the ball.

Take this action with LeBron and AD from the Minnesota game. This is called “blind pig” — the Knicks run it for Jalen Brunson all the time — and it’s built to get a ball-handler sprinting downhill:

It’s well-defended by Jaden McDaniels and Gobert, so LeBron’s kickout to Reaves doesn’t immediately generate a three. But Mike Conley has to tag AD and closeout, and Reaves has enough of an advantage to create a shot for himself.

The ball is moving and everybody is involved offensively. Rui Hachimura is back-cutting relentlessly from the corner like Aaron Gordon, punishing inattentive defenders. (Looking at you, Julius Randle.) This is all perfect for Dalton Knecht, who’s coming off the bench and launching threes with well-crafted specialty plays.

When push comes to shove and the Lakers need points, they can go back to the LeBron well that’s always been there. LeBron can bully somebody in the post, or run a two-man game with Reaves:

It’s been the Lakers’ best offense for years, and now it’s a convenient late-game failsafe alongside other good options.

There’s a long way to go, and teams will scout the stuff they’re doing. But for a team that looked stuck in the mud last season, grinding for a play-in berth, this is significant progress. If they keep playing like this, they’ll be more than first round fodder.