JJ Redick and the Los Angeles Lakers are heading into the 2025-26 season with their sights set on the NBA title. Given that this is no simple task, especially in a loaded Western Conference, Redick highlighted the importance of “championship defense” that would help the Lakers get there.
JJ Redick presented this idea earlier in the offseason. However, following the team’s poor preseason performances, the Lakers’ head coach recently spoke with the media and emphasized one crucial factor in developing a championship defense.
“Building our habits, building our communication, and being in great shape. That’s how you build a great defense,” stated Redick during a Lakers practice. “I could have put ‘championship defense’ up there. What does that mean? Actually, what does that mean? It doesn’t mean anything. It literally doesn’t mean anything.”
“How do you have a championship defense? You’ve got to have great habits. You’ve got to be able to communicate; that builds trust. You’ve got to be in elite shape so you can play harder. It’s that simple.”
JJ Redick’s plan of building championship habits has been one of the priorities heading into the season. While admirable, it is also evident that the process of cultivating such practices is time-consuming, which may not be in the team’s best interests right now.
Having indicated their intentions to make a title push, the Lakers must make the most of their small window of opportunity this season. With growing pains being a part of the process, it will be interesting to see whether the team is capable of overcoming these hurdles.
Should JJ Redick Be Concerned With The Team’s Preseason Performance?
After making some impressive roster moves this offseason, the hype surrounding the Lakers was immense. With the preseason becoming the stage for the team to debut its “new-and-improved” rotation, fans had great expectations for the team. Unfortunately, the output has been anything but satisfactory.
With several key players missing the first two games of the preseason, the Lakers came away with some tough losses. Although they managed to secure a win against the Golden State Warriors in their third outing, it would end up as their only win of the preseason, as they eventually finished with a 1-5 record.
Losses in the preseason may not have an impact on the team’s regular-season record, but the team’s performance should raise some concerns for JJ Redick.
Although the team had some solid starts in the games following their first win, their second-half woes proved to be their eventual undoing.
This could still be attributed to experimentation with the rotation. But considering how consistently the Purple and Gold were fading in the second half of games, JJ Redick should be concerned about the formation of bad habits.
With LeBron James expected to be sidelined until mid-November, the Lakers will essentially rely on the pair of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to carry the team. Although dependable, such an approach would not be sustainable from the perspective of winning a championship.
In this regard, instilling championship habits and developing consistency in performance should become a priority. With the season opener against the Warriors on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 10:00 p.m. ET, the Lakers will look to settle into a winning rhythm and begin their campaign on a good note.
