Lakers’ JJ Redick Draws Laughs With Racial Joke About Starting Lineup
· Yahoo Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers entered media day with questions surrounding a roster that changed significantly over the summer. LeBron James is gone, Walker Kessler has arrived, and head coach JJ Redick must determine how all the new pieces fit around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Redick offered one certainty about his lineup while drawing laughs from the media members in attendance, per Fadeaway World.
Visit esporist.org for more information.
“I’m pretty confident in three of the spots,” Redick said. “The other two spots will not be two white guys.”
Redick delivered the line with a smirk, prompting laughter throughout the room. Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka also laughed at the remark, which appeared to reference criticism about the racial makeup of Los Angeles’ revamped roster.
The joke provided a light moment, but the unresolved competition carries real significance. Redick identified Doncic, Reaves, and Kessler as three likely starters without naming the players who will fill the remaining positions.
View this post on Instagram
JJ Redick Expects Fierce Competition for Lakers Roles
Redick believes this roster offers more balance than either of his previous Lakers teams. He also sees enough depth to make playing time and starting assignments legitimate competitions during training camp.
“I think we have really great wing depth, and I’m really excited for camp to start next week, and for us to go through the preseason process,” Redick said. “There are a lot of minutes, and there are starting spots that are up for grabs. We’re going to have a highly competitive camp.”
Redick added that Lakers players have participated in pickup games for the past six weeks. He praised the roster’s perimeter defense, shooting, and ball-handling while stressing that Los Angeles could not complete an entire rebuild around Doncic in one offseason.
View this post on Instagram
Instead, the organization focused on supplying Doncic and Reaves with complementary options across several positions. Redick now wants those players to meet clearly defined expectations, especially on the wing.
“Like there’s a very clear ask for you to be able to play, and if you won’t do those things, you’re not gonna play,” Redick said. “That’s just the reality.”
Lakers Look to Turn Early Chemistry Into Wins
Los Angeles already received one encouraging sign before camp. Fifteen of the 16 players on the roster attended Doncic’s minicamp in Slovenia, and each attendee later wrote him a handwritten thank-you note.
That gesture does not determine anyone’s place in the rotation. However, it showed how the group responded to Doncic’s effort to gather his teammates before official practices began.
“I think with this group, probably the first time in my three years here that I feel like the pieces actually fit together,” Redick said, The Sporting Tribune reports.
The Lakers won 53 games last season despite losing Doncic to a hamstring injury during their playoff sweep against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Redick has now guided Los Angeles to at least 50 wins in each of his seasons as head coach.
Maintaining that run without James will require the Lakers’ depth to translate into production. Redick has repeatedly emphasized connection, defensive communication, and players embracing the responsibilities attached to their minutes.
The roster may fit better on paper, but Redick still must decide which players complement Doncic, Reaves, and Kessler in the opening lineup. His media-day joke ruled out one combination. Training camp will settle the rest.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Lakers’ JJ Redick Draws Laughs With Racial Joke About Starting Lineup appeared first on HEAVY.