Lakers coach JJ Redick isn’t spending much time worrying about the league’s fashionable title picks.
When asked about teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks, Redick made it clear he’s locked in on Los Angeles and not the outside noise.
“You’ve got to get things out in the open. We look at this every day.
I don’t sugarcoat it. Those teams (like New York, San Antonio and Oklahoma City) deserve to be perceived that way, but I don’t care.
It doesn’t matter - the perception of us. We’re on our own path.
We are on our journey. That’s exciting to me," the Lakers head coach said.
That response came as those three clubs are being framed as some of the NBA’s biggest threats heading into the 2026-27 season. The Knicks are coming off a title run in five games, with Jalen Brunson and company holding that distinction after hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy.
The Spurs are viewed as the league’s big swing team, the one loaded with chip-on-the-shoulder energy and fresh upgrades, with Victor Wembanyama front and center. And the Thunder are chasing their own unfinished business after falling in seven games in the Western Conference Finals to the eventual NBA Finals runners-up.
Redick, though, isn’t buying into the public pecking order. He sees the Lakers as a team with its own case to make, especially with an offense now built around Luka Doncic and a roster constructed to fit him. The Walker Kessler trade also appears to have addressed rebounding and defensive concerns, giving Los Angeles a different look around the edges.
Even with that, the Lakers still have work to do before anyone can put them in the top tier with certainty.
The other contenders are carrying plenty of their own baggage and ambition. San Antonio has more than championship dreams on its mind, with Mitch Johnson’s group chasing individual hardware too, from Dylan Harper to Devin Vassell.
Wembanyama is aiming for a second Defensive Player of the Year award and his first NBA Most Valuable Player honor. New York, meanwhile, is making pay cuts to keep its championship-winning core together.
And Gilgeous-Alexander is still pushing to prove he belongs in the conversation with the game’s all-time great guards by stacking more trophies.
Redick’s point is simpler than all of that. He wants the Lakers focused inward.
If Los Angeles keeps that approach and the Doncic-led offense clicks while Kessler holds down the paint, Redick’s view of the league could age very well. And if that happens, the Lakers may not just be part of the title race - they could be sitting at the front of it before the holidays.
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Spurs May Already Have A De'Aaron Fox Problem To Solve
The Spurs already have a roster-building question hanging over De'Aaron Fox, even if it is not the kind they expected when they acquired him. In a couple of seasons, the league's next expansion draft could give San Antonio a rare chance to sort through its protected list, and Fox's place on it may not be as secure as his name recognition suggests. The organization is leaning toward a younger core, which makes a veteran guard on an expensive deal look more like a luxury than a foundational piece.
Fox's value in San Antonio will depend heavily on what happens between now and then, because there is still time for his play to change the conversation. If his performance and trade value rise, the Spurs gain more flexibility in how they handle the contract. If not, the team could face an awkward decision about one of its priciest players at a time when the rest of the roster is pushing in a younger direction. [Read more 🡒]