EL SEGUNDO — Throughout his first season as an NBA head coach, JJ Redick’s eagerness for game planning for the Lakers’ next opponent was evident.
Now, he and his staff are about to face their biggest problem-solving challenge as a collective: strategizing for a first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with Game 1 kicking off the series on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.
“The first thing [assistant coach] Greg St. Jean and [head video coordinator Michael Wexler] have been really helpful [with], not just for me, but just for the whole staff, is the first thing was getting organized,” Redick said after Tuesday’s practice. “In some ways, if we don’t do it right, especially for me the first time, it’s a little bit like when I first took the job.
“And I’ve got the draft, free agency, summer league, and it’s all just happening at once and it’s ‘Whoa, what just happened? I gotta hire my staff. What just happened?’ We’ve been very intentional starting last week about how we wanted this week to look. How we wanted what we present to the team, all that stuff. And we had … six hours of meetings [on Tuesday] and a few hours [on Monday]. We feel good about where we are on Tuesday getting ready for a Saturday game.”
A part of that organization was making Tuesday, the Lakers’ first practice ahead of Saturday’s Game 1, focused on shooting and conditioning after wrapping up the regular season on Sunday afternoon in Portland and taking Monday off.
Redick said Tuesday was “intentionally not a mental day,” with the plan to go into the mental and preparation side of game-planning starting with Wednesday’s practice.
But even with the Lakers not fully diving into their preparations yet for the Timberwolves, who finished the regular season with a 49-33 record, one game behind the Lakers’ 50-32 mark, Redick has made it clear how impressed he’s been when watching film on Minnesota.
“They’re a really good basketball team,” Redick said. “The more you watch them on film, the more you respect them. They’re a better team than 49 wins. The other three teams that are top-10 in offense and defense [Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics], all 60-win teams.
“Over the second half since [Julius] Randle and [Donte] DiVincenzo got back from injury about 50 games in, they’ve played really well the last 20 or so games.”
Redick added that the key is preparing for Saturday’s Game 1 and then being open-minded to adjustments afterward.
“It’s like any playoff series. You’re gonna prepare for Game 1 and you’re gonna go try to win Game 1,” he said. “And then from there, it’s adjustment after adjustment. I can’t tell you how Game 3’s gonna go because I can’t tell you how Game 1 and 2 went. We’ll prepare for Game 1 and we’ll go from there.”
Likely at the top of the Lakers’ scouting report is All-NBA guard Anthony Edwards, who averaged career highs in points (27.3) and 3-point percentage (39.5%).
His 320 3-point field goals led the NBA this season.
Edwards also led the league in pull-up 3s made (230), shooting 38.5% on pull-ups from behind the arc.
“The thing that jumps out at you is just 3-point volume,” Redick said. “His ability to make shots at a really high level off the bounce, his pick-and-roll 3s, his iso 3s, dribble-in-transition 3s, he shoots them all at a really high clip. He’s still got his mid-range package. He’s still got the ability to get to the rim and finish, but not many guys that can shoot off the dribble at volume from three can also make 40% of them. That unlocks a lot.”
Originally Published:
