JJ Redick has been under the impression that the Los Angeles Lakers will improve by running offensive sets during games. During Summer League, Redick told Doris Burke and Mark Jones of ESPN that the team’s offensive efficiency was better when running sets.

“One of the things last year with this team, they played a lot of random,” JJ Redick told Mark Jones and Doris Burke. “If you look at the efficiency numbers when they played random versus when they played out of sets, the sets had a much higher efficiency.”

LeBron James will prevent JJ Redick from improving the offense.

Although JJ Redick’s statement could be true, the Lakers didn’t run more offensive sets last season due to their most famous player, LeBron James. James has rarely participated in practice since 2018. His former coach, Ty Lue, said in 2017 that he didn’t want James to participate in practice to avoid extra wear and tear on his body.

“Because you don’t get the wear and tear of having a practice, or a full practice,” Lue said according to Vardon. “Guys come in and get their shots and get their treatment and then they’re out. You’re going to do that, anyway, whether you’re off or not. But it’s not a full practice where you’re locked in. You can kind of get your mind off the game, do your routine and get out.”

LeBron James’ former teammates

James’ former teammates have stated that the lack of practice has led to a decline in individual and team performance. Isaiah Thomas averaged 13.6 points, shooting 36.1% on 14.4 attempts per game, during his first five games with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Isaiah’s production declined by 48.9% from his last five regular-season games with the Boston Celtics. He averaged 26.6 points and shot 46.7% on 18 attempts.  On January 17th, 2018, Thomas stated that the team’s lack of practice time was affecting his production as he could not get into basketball shape.  

“That’s the only thing that’s gonna help me, because we don’t practice. Only thing that’s gonna help me is getting reps, running up and down the floor, getting my hip, getting my body accustomed to taking a beating and to running up and down the floor, getting in basketball shape.”  

Since leaving Cleveland, James has refused to charge. Former teammate Kyle Kuzma stated on January 29th, 2021, that the team was using regular-season games as practice.

“Jason Kidd always said that the regular season is just rehearsal for the playoffs, and you’ve just got to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Especially for a team like us,” Kuzma continued. “Everything is all film-related because we have a lot of high-IQ guys that can translate something from a TV to the court. So a lot of times during the regular season, our practice is sometimes the games, and this is how we figure it out. That’s how we figure it out.”

LeBron James’ philosophy has led his team to depend on isolation sets to generate offense. Since the 2017-18 season, his team has run an isolation possession on 8.3% of offensive possessions, averaging 9.3 per game, top 10 in the league.

The importance of practice for JJ Redick

If JJ Redick wants to run more offensive sets, he needs to convince James to practice frequently. Coaches utilize practice time to install and/or perfect offensive sets. For example, Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown spent 20 minutes in practice on November 24,2023 trying to perfect the double-high pick-and-roll set.

As a result, practice needs to be a vital tool for JJ Redick, who hopes to install a Denver Nuggets-type five-out offense.

“I think it’s a little more nuanced than just saying it’s five out and every team is different,” Redick said. “Again, in the NBA you want to maximize spacing. That’s what it comes down to. So for the Denver Nuggets, they want to score in the paint so when they go five out it’s to get to the paint. And what they rely on is… let’s say the ball goes here, now Jokic has it here. We’re just gonna cut, this could be a pin down, this could be a rip screen, that’s Aaron Gordon going to the basket. 

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone stated on the coach’s corner that the five-out offense requires timing, execution, and proper spacing. Teams refine/ perfect these three elements via practice or in-game repetitions. 

Unfortunately, James’ track record indicates he is unlikely to participate in practice. Consequently, the Lakers will experience all of their growing pains in games increasing the likelihood of more losses.