Lakers HC JJ Redick sheds light on LeBron James' role in 2024-25 season

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With the 2024-25 NBA season rapidly approaching, Los Angeles Lakers fans have one question above all others heading into this pivotal campaign: how will LeBron James fit into JJ Redick’s offense?

Will James run the point surrounded by shooters? Or will Redick take the ball out of his hands more often in order to ease the load on his shoulders during the regular season? Well, Zach Lowe decided to ask Redick that very question, podcaster to podcaster, on The Lowe Post and earned a very interesting answer indeed regarding “The King’s” potential usage as an off-ball player.

“It's funny, because I think when people hear that in regards to LeBron playing off the ball, it's doesn't mean he's not gonna have the ball. LeBron is one of the smartest players, and I think using him as a screener and finding ways to get him the ball in specific spots on the floor where he can be a facilitator and scorer, that's what I mean by being off the ball. I don't mean LeBron is gonna walk the ball up and get ball pressure at 94 feet and run a high pick-and-roll every time. That's not how we're gonna play.”

While plenty of head coaches have watched James’ incredible mental and physical gifts as a hooper and placed the ball firmly in his hands, allowing him to run the point even if he’s called a forward, the idea of purposefully pushing him off the ball in order to make plays as a screener, cutter, and outlet option could create all sorts of new matchup opportunities the likes of which few have seen regularly. If Redick takes things in that direction and can deploy James in a brand new way, it will only make the Lakers more effective this fall.

JJ Redick wants a streamlined Lakers offense around LeBron James

Discussing the situation further with Lowe, Redick broke down what he would like the Lakers’ offense to look like in 2024 and how he plans to streamline the team’s shot attempts to be more analytically sound.

“I think in terms of what the offense is gonna look like, there will be a decent amount of movement. The shot profile will hopefully improve. We've talked about ways to get more paint touches. We've talked about ways to shoot more 3s. We've talked about some of the leeway you have to give certain players with midrange shots, whether that's in the post or isolation. But hopefully, the shot profile improved. I think from a possession standpoint, one of the margins this team created last year and historically with this group has been free throws. Outside of that, there hasn't been a lot of margin creation, so we're gonna try to create some margins, one of which is we're really gonna emphasize offensive rebounding and corner crashes. So yeah, I'm not comparing that to a previous coach or system, but those are some of the things that will look like a team that I coach.”

In 2023-24, the Lakers attempted the fewest 3-point shots per game and the sixth-fewest shots per game period of any team in the NBA. If Redick can jack both of those numbers up into the top 10, it will only make LA a better team overall.

Zach Lowe: "Have you settled on a starting 5?"

JJ Redick: Yeah. It'll be the starting 5 that went 23-10 last year."

That Lakers lineup:
D'Angelo Russell
Austin Reaves
Rui Hachimura
LeBron James
Anthony Davis

(via "The Lowe Post")pic.twitter.com/0MnJTedfsu

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 25, 2024

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