How JJ Redick Can Muster a Scheme Around the 26-27 Lakers Two Stars
As the new season approaches, head coach JJ Redick faces an exciting opportunity: shaping a fresh offensive identity in Los Angeles. At the heart of the Lakers next chapter is the newly assembled duo of superstar point guard Luka Dončić and center Walker Kessler. How effectively they build around their pick-and-roll chemistry could define the team’s ceiling in a fiercely competitive Western Conference. At training camp, the focus will be on creating space and finding the right roles to bring out the best in both stars. Since evaluating their 26-27 roster moves, the Lakers have really improved their frontcourt.
Redick’s main challenge is building an offense that puts the Lakers’ all-star to work as an exceptional playmaker. Meanwhile, unleash Kessler’s elite rim-running. At six-foot-seven, Dončić is among basketball’s most precise pick-and-roll orchestrators, at his best when he controls the tempo. Pair him with a seven-foot-one vertical threat, and defenses face an immediate dilemma.
To get the most out of this engine, their head coach will need to use his rotation wisely. Around the core tandem, shooters like Austin Reaves, Quentin Grimes, and Collin Sexton can create the spacing that keeps the floor open. When defenses double-team Dončić at the top of the key, crisp ball movement around the horn can free the wings for open threes. With secondary playmakers attacking closeouts, opposing defenses will struggle to settle into a rhythm.
Beyond the basic high screen, transition opportunities will look very different. Sending the former Jazz big man hard to the rim early in the offense can force opposing bigs into quick fouls or pull defenders away from the three-point line, creating open trail shots for Reaves and Grimes. On defense, they need a scheme that shields his floor general while letting their center command the paint. His shot-blocking gives the perimeter a safety net, freeing defenders to pressure the ball more aggressively. Instead of relying on constant switching, Redick can keep him near the rim in a disciplined drop scheme, using the length of Jarred Vanderbilt or Ziaire Williams to steer ball handlers straight into the big man’s reach. If the coaching staff can unleash an explosive offense while building a disciplined defense, this revamped lineup could become one of the league’s most dangerous teams. Now, the spotlight is on the Lakers’ head coach to transform this high-upside tandem into a championship-caliber force.
