LeBron James has proven he can win NBA championships, become the league's all-time leading scorer with a pass-first mindset and mostly delay Father Time over the course of his 22-year career. But during that time, rarely has James found the season's first 10 games to foreshadow whether he will add anything to his résumé.
So it's not surprising that James made little of the Lakers' (6-4) entering Wednesday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies (7-4) at Crypto.com Arena with a seventh-place standing in the Western Conference.
It's too early to evaluate whether the Lakers' start will determine whether their campaign ends in April, May or June. The Lakers have established some trends, though.
The 39-year-old James still has held his own against Father Time, but he no longer remains the team's best player. Anthony Davis has mostly stayed durable and has sparked MVP and Defensive Player of the Year buzz. First-year coach JJ Redick has related well to players and made smart adjustments, but he struggles to stay calm during and after losses.
The Lakers have strong roster depth but not enough to have a consistent third option. The Lakers have gladly featured LeBron and Bronny James as the NBA's first father-son duo to share a court together, but Bronny has played most of his minutes with the Lakers' G League team. The Lakers look dominant at home (5-0), but they look sluggish on the road (1-4).
Amid all of those evolving developments, however, one thing seems clear. The Lakers have synergy with their coaching staff and players.
"They're really responsive," Redick said. "I think there's a trust that is building with each other as players and the trust that is building between the players and the staff. Holistically, in terms of our offense, our defense, look, there's a long way to go with all of that stuff. That [trust], to me, is more exciting."
Redick observed that synergy grew through offseason voluntary workouts, practices, film sessions and morning shootarounds. But nothing epitomized that trust more than how Redick and D'Angelo Russell managed a potentially combustible episode.
In the Lakers' loss in Memphis last week, Russell showed delayed timing on a handful of defensive rotations and also took a contested corner 3. During that time, the game broadcast showed Redick sitting down while repeatedly slamming his chair. Afterward, Redick attributed Russell's season-low 22 minutes to his "level of compete" and "attention to detail." Yet, Redick stressed that he and Russell "are good."
"I'm not a zombie," Redick said. "So I don't like seeing myself in that light. When I watched the video, I actually forgot that it happened. I want to be clear about something: D-Lo and I talked about this. That was not directed at him."
Instead, Redick attributed his frustration to the Lakers' execution throughout the loss to Memphis. Nonetheless, Redick changed his starting lineup for Friday's game against Philadelphia and Sunday's game against Toronto. He chose Cam Reddish over Russell, who also lost his starting spot early last season under previous coach Darvin Ham. Redick stressed the change was "not a punishment." He added it had more to do with leaning on Reddish's perimeter defense and Russell's scoring to jump-start an inconsistent bench.
"He has a really strong desire to win, and he has a really strong desire to be coached," Redick said of Russell. "Our communication level from June 20th to today has been nothing but open, honest and transparent. And I would assume it will continue to be."
Redick turned out to be correct. In the Lakers' past two wins since the lineup switch, the Lakers have improved in perimeter defense (33.8%). Meanwhile, Russell has averaged 16.5 points while shooting 52% from the field and 38.5% from deep. He also repeatedly said, "I just want to win" in regard to questions about his bench role and adjusting to Redick's structured system predicated on ball-movement and sets.
"However it happened, however the conversation, however the relationship, whatever it may be, try to be professional and be a part of winning," Russell said. "Simple as that. I left all that, all my baggage at the door this summer once we changed coaches and new staff came in. I was committed to whatever it takes."
Granted, the Lakers' success and failure will hinge on how healthy and effective James and Davis can be throughout the 2024-25 season. So far, the superstar tandem has offered more encouraging signs they can play and stay available as when they won their lone NBA title together (2019-20).
James has averaged 23.2 points per game, his lowest scoring output since his rookie season (2003-04). But that has more to do with James' quest to have a balanced offense than significant signs of regression. He has shot 51.5% overall and 44.4% from deep along with 8.9 assists and 7.7 rebounds. He also led a fourth-quarter comeback against Sacramento (with 32 points) and carried the team against Memphis (39 points) in an otherwise sluggish game.
"It's pretty cool that with the amount of miles I've put on the tires, and the lack of tread that's on these tires, that I'm still able to get up and down the highway and do it at a high level," James said. "I just give everything to the game outside of the game before the game even starts."
James often arrives to the Lakers' practice facility and each arena before everyone else for treatment and shooting workouts. Davis has shown similar dedication. In turn, Davis leads in the NBA in scoring (31.2 points per game), first in free-throw attempts (11.3) and sixth in blocks (2.0). No wonder Redick said he has already told Davis to try to win the NBA's regular-season MVP award.
"My mindset has been just going out there and playing basketball," Davis said. "[Redick's] done a good job of putting me in spots to be successful. My teammates have done a good job of giving me the ball where I'm most comfortable. Obviously, they're encouraging me to try to go get it, but I'm still continuously trying to play the right way. If it happens, it happens. But I'm more about wins and trying to compete for a championship. Let the rest of that stuff take care of itself."
As has happened during Davis' entire 13-year NBA career, concerns always linger about his health. Davis missed last week's game in Memphis because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot, an injury he has managed during the Paris Olympics and in training camp. Davis also left Sunday's game against Toronto in the third quarter after Raptors center Jakob Poeltl poked him in his left eye. Neither injuries are considered serious, though. The Lakers also have relative comfort that Davis hasn't nursed a serious ailment since midway through the 2022-23 season.
"We're trying to manage and keep finding ways to keep it loose," Davis said of his left foot. "But it's felt good, for the most part."
As for the rest of the Lakers' roster?
Austin Reaves (18.7 points) and Rui Hachimura (12.0) have averaged double-digits in scoring but also have shown inconsistency with their efficiency and defense. The Lakers drafted Dalton Knecht at No. 17 for his superb shooting, but it hasn't translated yet in the NBA (38.6% overall, 28.9% from 3). Neither Max Christie nor Gabe Vincent has yet enjoyed the break-out performance the Lakers projected. Though Jaxson Hayes has proven serviceable as a backup center, the Lakers don't have clarity on when Jarred Vanderbilt (right foot) and Christian Wood (left knee) will return.
That prompts the inquiry on whether the Lakers will make any moves before the trade deadline on Feb. 6, 2025. Rob Pelinka, the Lakers' general manager and vice president of basketball operations, said before the season "that's a question that I think we'll get a better sense on after 30 games." Then, the Lakers may have clarity on a few issues. Should they still value roster depth and continuity over acquiring a third star? Would they make a move even at the cost of their 2029 and '31 first-round picks?
Maybe the Lakers can answer those questions after playing 20 more games. For now, the Lakers have a 10-game sample size that has yielded both encouraging signs and an extensive to-do list. At least the Lakers have a head coach they feel more comfortable with, regardless of how emotional he might become.
"I actually am more excited right now that we've had some struggles," Redick said. "This is why I wanted to coach. Not so we could have strawberries and ice cream every day. Anybody can do that. This is why I wanted to coach."
Mark Medina is an NBA contributor for Athlon Sports. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
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