JJ Redick thinks the Lakers finally have a roster that makes sense.
That was the blunt takeaway from his preseason press conference Thursday, when the coach said this group is the first in his three seasons in Los Angeles that feels like it was built with pieces that naturally work together. For Redick, that changes everything.
The jobs get cleaner. The expectations get sharper.
And minutes won’t be handed out just because the roster is deeper.
“I think we’ve always tried to give our players clearly defined roles, and I think this group is probably the first time in my three years here that I feel like the pieces actually fit together, and so those roles probably get even more crystallized,” Redick said.
The Lakers’ plan, as Redick and Rob Pelinka laid it out, is centered on Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, while the rest of the roster is built to support them rather than compete with them for the same possessions. Pelinka said the front office wanted to keep Reaves, land a long-term center and add younger players who can handle the ball, pass and shoot.
“We wanted to retain Austin Reaves,” Pelinka said. “That was a really big thing for us. We wanted to find a way to acquire a franchise center, and then we wanted to develop a roster of JJ Redick dribble-pass-shoot players that were younger and add depth to our roster.”
Walker Kessler is the centerpiece of that shift. His numbers from 2024-25 - 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game - point to exactly the kind of interior presence the Lakers have been missing.
Redick made clear he sees Kessler as more than just a big body. He wants him stationed closer to the basket, serving as a rim protector and defensive anchor.
“I think Walker is a perfect fit for Luka and AR, just in terms of his rim protection and really being an anchor for our defense,” Redick said. “That’s an area we’ve struggled with.”
That matters because it changes the shape of the defense. Instead of asking the center to chase around in a heavy switching scheme, the Lakers want Kessler near the rim, ready to clean up mistakes when the first defender gets beat. That also shifts more responsibility onto the wings, who have to chase shooters, recover through screens and keep possessions from falling apart on the perimeter.
Redick made it clear that those responsibilities are not optional. He said he has already started having those conversations with players this week, and the message is simple: do your job, or don’t expect to play.
For a player who doesn’t meet the standard, Redick said, “then you’re not going to play.”
That gives camp a different feel than a generic battle for minutes. It becomes a test of fit.
A defender like Matisse Thybulle, for example, is not just being judged on whether he can disrupt an opponent. He also has to make himself useful once the ball swings away from him - by cutting at the right time, making the quick pass or taking the open shot when it’s there.
Those little decisions matter because they help preserve what Doncic or Reaves creates. Redick’s point is that the Lakers don’t just need players who can fill space; they need players who can keep an advantage alive.
The roster is still not finished, either. Pelinka has left the door open to a two-for-one trade, so the group Redick is talking about could still shift. And Redick said Thursday that building the team around Doncic is not something that gets solved in one offseason.
So the optimism comes with a caveat. The pieces may fit better now than they have in years, but the Lakers still have to prove they can turn that fit into actual games.
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Lakers Just Sent A Clear Message About Cameron Carr's Role
Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick made it clear this week that Cameron Carr is not just another young name in the pipeline. In a press conference, the Lakers front office and coach spoke about the rookies development, pointing to the impression he has already made in team activities and the way the organization is approaching his growth. For a roster that is trying to balance immediate expectations with long-term depth, those kinds of comments carry real weight.
Redick said Carr is a priority for development, and that matters because the path to playing time in Los Angeles is rarely straightforward for a rookie. The Lakers are also seeing progress from other young players such as Adou Thiero as they work to add flexibility for the season ahead, but Carrs standing in that group suggests the team sees a defined role taking shape if he keeps earning trust behind the scenes. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Roster Crunch Could Force A Tough Call Before Opening Night
The Lakers are still in evaluation mode as training camp opens, but the roster math already has a deadline attached to it. Rob Pelinka said the front office plans to use camp to sort through the group of 16 guaranteed contracts and decide how best to get down to the regular-season limit, with consolidation trades among the options on the table. It is the sort of early-fall roster squeeze that can shape more than the final spot count, because it also reveals how the team views fit, depth and which pieces are most useful around the core.
JJ Redick added another layer to the picture by discussing likely starters and the plan to widen the rotation, which makes those roster decisions even more important. In a camp built around competition, the Lakers are trying to balance immediate readiness with long-term flexibility, and Pelinka made it clear that a two-for-one trade is one possible path if the right deal surfaces. For now, the focus is on seeing how the roster fits together before opening night forces a final answer. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Just Made A Huge Walker Kessler Bet With One Big Risk
The Lakers have made a major move to shore up their frontcourt, completing a sign-and-trade deal for Walker Kessler on a $129.5 million contract. It is the kind of swing that signals real intent, with the team clearly valuing his defensive presence and the way he can complement the star talent already in place.
Rob Pelinka said the Lakers did their homework on Kesslers medical situation and are confident his shoulder injury is fully healed, which is a big part of why they were comfortable moving forward. Even so, as with any investment of this size, the real question for Los Angeles is whether the defensive upgrade they believe they are getting can hold up once the season starts and the games get physical. [Read more 🡒]