The Lakers Are Forging an Early Identity on Both Sides of the Ball

It's early, less than a week in. But listen to JJ Redick and the rest of the Lakers, and it's clear they're working hard to forge a real identify on both sides of the ball.

Defensively, Redick has already talked about how the days of 1-5 switching are over with the arrival of Walker Kessler. It's going to look more like 1-4, but even then with some caveats. And just that change will make the Lakers look a lot different defensively. Add to that the constant talk of disruption and deflections and intensity, and you start to see what the vision is on defense.

Offensively, Austin Reaves said Wednesday that the Lakers are looking to use fewer ball screens, which makes sense given that their two primary weapons function well, if not better, without them. Reaves described a more "free flowing" offense, and Redick noted how they want to expand the playbook a little in their early offense beyond what they did last year.

Put it all together, and it feels like the Lakers want to take advantage of a roster that a) will be together (in theory) for a bit, and b) has a skill set they believe is more coherent.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: JJ is building out an identity, early.

SEGMENT 2: Early plans for the offense and defense.

SEGMENT 3: Why the Lakers can build it out a little faster.

PHOTO SEGMENT: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

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