Lakers Media Day on Monday featured just about every Laker saying JJ Redick wants them to shoot more 3-pointers.
With JJ Redick having yet to debut as an NBA coach, figuring out his style and ideology is still difficult.
Until Lakers preseason basketball begins, we have no film to go on and just have his press conferences and a handful of podcast appearances to go off of.
The information is sparse, and the basketball data is non-existent, but based on his comments on Media Day, one thing is clear: Redick wants the Lakers to let it fly from 3-point range.
From the start of Media Day to the finish, multiple Lakers said the message from their head coach was to shoot more 3-pointers.
Anthony Davis on his early relationship with JJ Redick says the coach would text him after Olympics games when he shot 3s telling him good job and that’s what he wants to see.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) September 30, 2024
LeBron James said he’s willing to adapt his game to whatever head coach JJ Redick wants this season, whether that’s playing off the ball more or shooting more 3s. LeBron said he can do anything on a basketball floor and will plug in wherever LA needs him.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) September 30, 2024
Rui Hachimura on speaking to JJ Redick: “I was just here working out and we talked for 30 minutes … he talked about wanting me to shoot more 3’s. He thinks I’m a great shooter. Offensively, defensively, I have to be involved more, and I think it’s going to be a big year for…
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) September 30, 2024
Redick’s desire to be an aggressive 3-point shooting team shouldn’t shock Lakers fans. He was known as an elite outside shooter during his NBA career and has repeatedly said he’ll trust the math and expressed a desire to rely on analytics.
When you talk to many analytics people, it’s clear they want a lot of outside shooting and plenty of shots inside the paint. It’s generally a combination of the two with little love for the mid-range.
This department has been a struggle for the franchise for years. Last season, the Lakers were 28th in the NBA in 3-point shot attempts, averaging 31.4 a game. The last time they were in the top ten in 3-point attempts was in the 2013-14 season when they ranked seventh in the league.
Last season, Reaves took 5.1 3-pointers a game and converted on 36% of them. If he sees an uptick in usage this season under Redick, expect those attempts to increase.
With Anthony Davis, there’s always room for improvement, especially offensively and Redick clearly has spent the summer telling Davis he wants him to shoot more 3-pointers. This isn’t a new thing for Davis. When Darvin Ham was the coach, he mentioned wanting him to shoot six or more 3-pointers a game.
That didn’t happen last season, as AD only took 1.4 3-point attempts per game, but with Redick already emphasizing it so much early on, those numbers should go up. Davis becoming the “offensive hub” and improving his shooting from deep would maximize his performance and raise the ceiling of this team’s potential.
Speaking of potential, Hachimura is another key player who Redick has already named as his starter for opening day.
Last season for the Lakers, Hachimura averaged 13.6 points and shot 42% from deep but only took 1.4 shots from the 3-point line. Adding his 3-point shot to the mix can transform Hachimura from a good player to a great one and help him have the best season of his career.
With a new coach at the helm, a lot is unknown, so we’ll have to keep an eye on how many shots from beyond the arc this team takes this preseason as a potential precursor of what to expect once the games count.
Hopefully, more 3-point attempts equals more makes and this offense can become more modern, resulting in more points and wins.
It’s Redick’s world and he wants to see more threes in it; let’s see if the players follow suit and execute that vision to perfection.
