Sports

Lakers Gear Up for Preseason Amid Roster Shake‑Ups and New Offensive Focus

By Eli Cohen

The Los Angeles Lakers are preparing for their first season under a new era built around the high‑scoring guard duo of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. Head coach JJ Redick is concentrating on how the two scorers perform separately rather than together, according to Law Murray of The Athletic. With many rotation changes from last season, Redick and the Lakers are still figuring out how best to use the roster.

Redick said, “We have really just focused on our early offense and being able to play out of things other than drag. We haven’t put our offensive groups together, to be honest with you. … And so, the new personnel, all that stuff, it’s really just about the early offensive organization than it is about manipulating matchups and finding what works and finding what combinations work. We have time to do that.” He added that Reaves has a sense of where the team will find its footing offensively. “I would expect us to (have a higher percentage of) possessions that we touch the paint,” Redick said. “I would expect us to be a higher volume 3‑point shooting team. And I would expect us to be a better offensive rebounding team. How all of that (translates) into our offensive rating, we’ll figure that out. We’ll figure out ways to get good shots.”

The Lakers’ preseason begins on Monday, but several key contributors are missing. Walker Kessler was held out after jamming his finger on the backboard, per Khobi Price of The California Post (via Twitter), while Reaves sat out due to a tweaked ankle. Collin Sexton and Arthur Kaluma also missed the game, though Redick described all injuries as minor. Sexton had previously been seen with his right calf wrapped during shoot‑around, Price writes, and received extra work with the strength and conditioning staff after practice.

Second‑year forward Adou Thiero sees the roster changes and his healthy offseason as a chance to carve out a role for himself, Price reports. “I feel like I have a pretty great opportunity in front of me considering the guys that aren’t here anymore,” Thiero said. “And now everybody’s still trying to figure out where to be at. So that gives me an opportunity to [earn a spot in the rotation].” Redick has praised Thiero’s “unbelievable last two months of development,” noting that the athletic wing could be an x‑factor for the team. “If we can develop Adou and develop [rookie Cameron Carr] and develop these guys into functional rotation NBA players over the next 12 to 24 months, it changes our ceiling,” Redick said.

Dan Woike of The Athletic outlines five things to watch for during preseason. Among them are how the Lakers look with and without Kessler on the court, how perimeter defenders like Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Bronny James, Quentin Grimes, and Sexton can disrupt opposing ball‑handlers, and who falls out of the rotation and into the danger zone of being cut, as L.A. must shed at least one guaranteed contract before the season starts.