Lakers coach JJ Redick acknowledged the obvious during his team’s road trip that ended with a crucial win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.
The obvious being that while he expected the team’s offense to be “fine” in the long run, considering the shot creators on the roster, the success on that end of the floor would be predicated on how well they’d be able to integrate Luka Doncic alongside LeBron James and Austin Reaves with little time to do so.
It’s a process Redick described as “more art than science.” One that all parties involved were committed to figuring out.
With the Lakers’ offense not consistently performing at the levels that are expected when Doncic, James and Reaves are at the helm, Redick met with his three best players on Saturday morning.
“We challenged them a little bit on playing with a little more force and pace off the ball,” Redick said. “And then we challenged all three of them when we get to their three-man actions to play with a little more force, a little more thrust and a little more creativity.”
Saturday’s victory over the Grizzlies showcased what the Lakers could look like when it approaches its offensive ceiling and is nearly clicking on all cylinders.
The team’s star trio had its best collective game since Doncic made his Lakers debut on Feb. 10, combining for 120 of the team’s point total between points and assists.
“They’ve done a really good job figuring it out,” Gabe Vincent said. “Obviously it’s a little more of a sample size now, but it’s quick coming from the trade deadline and three guys that can dominate the ball and score at a very high level and play make at a very high level.
“They’ve done a really good job figuring it out,” Lakers guard Gabe Vincent said. “Obviously it’s a little more of a sample size now, but it’s quick coming from the trade deadline and three guys that can dominate the ball and score at a very high level and play make at a very high level.
“They’ve done a really good job of playing off one another as well.”
Reaves led the way with 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, while Doncic had 29 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and James finished with 25 points, eight assists and six rebounds – his best scoring output since returning from a two-week absence because of a strained left groin.
“The meeting was just still trying to build that chemistry amongst the three of us to help the team be successful,” Reaves said. “(Saturday) just showed that when we play the right way and trust one another, especially offensively, we can have open looks on almost every possession. It was really just a conversation about how bad all of us want to win and win at a high level.”
The Lakers’ 134 points and 128.8 offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions) against the Grizzlies were their second-highest marks in the 14 games Doncic, James and Reaves have played with each other.
Their offensive success was bolstered by strong shot-making from Vincent (15 points), Rui Hachimura (13 points) and Dorian Finney-Smith (11 points), with the trio combining for 10-of-18 shooting on 3-pointers.
“There’s always stuff you can improve on,” Redick said. “And you don’t wanna say ‘Ah, that’s the best we can play offensively.’ We played as well as we played so far offensively.”
The Lakers still have kinks in their offense to work out.
It helps that the Grizzlies, who fired former longtime head coach Taylor Jenkins on Friday, have been one of the league’s worst defensive teams over the last few months.
Monday’s home game against the Houston Rockets, who have one of the league’s best defenses, will offer a better test of how how progress the Lakers’ offense has made.
ROCKETS AT LAKERS
When: Monday, 7 p.m.
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV/radio: TNT, Spectrum SportsNet/710 AM
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