Lakers schedule: First week will immediately put JJ Redick to the test

It's been said that the NBA offseason is just as good or better than the season itself. I don't really subscribe to that notion, but it's easy to see where it comes from. Free agency and the many trades that normally occur each summer are always highly entertaining, the coaching carousel usually spins out of control, and the draft and Summer League are a filling appetizer before the more meaningful games that come later in the year.

As one of the league's flagship franchises, the Los Angeles Lakers are a feature attraction no matter what time of year it is. This offseason was no different, as they did their best to replicate the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani free agency drama from months earlier in their failed pursuit of UConn coach and two-time defending national champ Dan Hurley. When those plans fell through, they turned to JJ Redick, which was itself noteworthy due to the former Duke Blue Devil having zero head coaching experience at any meaningful level.

Hollywood loves a sequel, and the Lakers weren't content to let their coaching search be the only story of the summer months. They followed up the hiring of Redick just two days later by rescuing what was otherwise a fairly dull draft night with the 1-2 talking point punch of stealing Dalton Knecht with the 17th pick and then drafting the second member of the James clan, Bronny, at 55.

No franchise in NBA history has been better at playing to the front page than the Lakers. This is the franchise that invented Showtime, after all. Being the lead topic on First Take has never been enough for the Buss family business, though, because the Lakers are also expected to win. Lately that hasn't exactly been the case, at least not for any prolonged stretch.

Since winning the "Bubble title" in 2020, the Lakers have been, let's face it, pretty mediocre. L.A. is just 12 games over .500 in the last four seasons, with two first-round playoff exits and one Western Conference Finals appearance to its credit. LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the team's two stars, have played consistently at an All-NBA level, but the complementary talent around them, and the coaching, just hasn't been up to snuff to keep pace in the brutally difficult Western Conference.

Now Redick is here in place of the dearly departed Darvin Ham (don't worry, he's fine and assistant coaching in Milwaukee under Doc Rivers). Can he return the Lakers to their rightful place at the top of the league, or is it too late to expect two old dogs in LeBron and AD to learn new tricks.?

JJ Redick is being thrown into the fire to start the NBA regular season

Life in the West is like trying to safely drive through the wasteland in Mad Max. It ain't easy, not with Nikola Jokic crashing into you, Luka Doncic running you off the road, Steph Curry raining bombs on you and Anthony Edwards diving onto your windshield. Still, the schedule-making powers-that-be did the Lakers no favors with how they'll start the season, as they'll have to face three strong Western Conference foes that will be difficult to prepare for, especially for a coach as green as Redick.

First up is the Timberwolves, who the Lakers will face in the second of two marquee games (Knicks-Celtics being the other) that will tip things off on Tuesday night. The Wolves are fresh off their first conference finals appearance in 20 years, and with Anthony Edwards continuing to establish himself as one of the league's up-and-coming superstars, their arrow is pointing way up.

The Wolves are well coached by Chris Finch, and they were ranked number one in defensive efficiency last year, a stat that doesn't figure to change much with Edwards and Rudy Gobert still projected to play big minutes.

Redick won't be able to just watch tape of last year's Wolves to prepare, because they'll look very different after completing the blockbuster trade of the offseason with the Knicks less than a month ago. That shocking deal sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the Big Apple in exchange for a package that included Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

Minnesota will be figuring things out on the fly, but Finch is a respected coach that should be able to integrate Randle and DiVincenzo quickly. Everybody on the roster is basically new to Redick, and with his lack of experience, it's little surprise that his Lakers are home underdogs, though only by a point-and-a-half as of Monday night.

It won't be any easier for Redick and the Lakers when they play their second game three nights later. This time they'll face the Suns, who are breaking in a new coach of their own in Mike Budenholzer.

Budenholzer's reputation has come full circle and back again. He once was blamed for the Bucks' lack of playoff success, but then he went out and won a title with the team in 2021. That championship came at the expense of the Suns, who he now coaches. Isn't life funny sometimes?

Budenholzer was unceremoniously let go by Milwaukee after a first-round exit in the 2023 playoffs, a move that felt harsh in the moment not only because he had won a title just two years earlier, but also because Giannis Antetokounmpo was hurt when the team was eliminated and Budenholzer had just lost his brother in a tragic car crash. He's gotten the last laugh as the Bucks have floundered in his absence, though, first under Adrian Griffin and then under Doc Rivers.

Now Budenholzer is on his feet, and the consensus feeling around the league is that he's the perfect guy to take over a Suns team that has Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal on the roster. The Suns also added Tyus Jones this offseason to fill their gaping point guard hole. It's always must-see TV whenever LeBron and Durant meet up, but this is another game that will be tough for Redick to navigate as he tries to solidify his rotation and establish his system, which is based partly on getting the Lakers to shoot more threes.

The Lakers will take to the road for their third game of the season, and that one is no picnic either. The Kings, coached by 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown and led on the floor by De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, will be waiting in Sacramento's Golden 1 Center, and it will take everything the Lakers have to keep the good people of Sac Town from seeing the Beam when they look to the sky that night.

The Kings had the most efficient offense in the NBA two years ago, and though they slipped to the middle of the pack last year (while improving their defense, mind you), the offseason addition of DeMar DeRozan is sure to vault them back toward elite status.

The Kings love to push the pace of the game. This could be a problem for the veteran Lakers, especially after the extra miles LeBron and AD put on their bodies during this summer's Olympic gold medal run.

In addition to the deadly Fox-Sabonis pick-and-roll and DeRozan's smooth midrange efficiency, Redick will need to figure out how to stop Keegan Murray, Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter from destroying the Lakers from the perimeter — a tall task for a rookie coach.

Redick is only 40, and with his playing career just barely behind him, Lakers fans have to hope that his understanding of the modern game and ability to connect with today's players will override his lack of coaching experience and allow him to develop quickly.

It's possible, likely even, that the Lakers get off to a rough first week. That's no reason to panic about Redick's coaching ability though, as he needs to be given a longer leash than his predecessors to see what he can do. Let's not read too much into three games, however they go. Let's instead celebrate the return of meaningful Lakers basketball. Buckle up, because this season is going to be quite the ride.