JJ Redick Explains How The Lakers Are Winning (Spoiler: It's More Than Just Anthony Davis) 

We hope you stay for the full clip. The Lakers have been awesome lately. AD has been playing at an MVP level which is a huge part to them winning games. We definitely stress that in this video. But The Lakers improved shooting has been important as well and we believe the two go hand-in-hand. PS: Apologies for the chicken scratch lol.

A big part of it too is always having a pick and roll maestro on the court with him. When LeBron goes to the bench, Russ can run the pick and roll with him and they are dynamic together.

We have to give credit to Westbrook too. Those pick & rolls between him and AD are deadly ! 10 of his 15 assists resulted in AD buckets against Washington last night !

People are forgetting they started the year without backup center Thomas Bryant and backup point Schroeder. Two very solid pieces for depth.

Austin Reaves and Lonnie walker have stepped up their game so much. That’s a huge part. Russ off the bench is definitely the move as well.

I was at that game last night. LeBron/AD or Russ/AD pick n roll is unstoppable. Not to mention Lonnie Walker has been really good for the Lakers.

Its called being Healthy... This is the AD LeBron has wanted from the moment he came to LA. AD is showing what we all know he is capable of but its all about being consistent and healthy. Lebron was happy to hand over the keys to the kingdom but AD needs step up and be this version of himself at all times. He doesnt have to drop 55 but a consistent 30 and 15 would be nice.

Suddenly Russ looks like an absolutely integral piece to this team. So glad they didn’t trade him for Turner and Hield. I was someone who thought that was a bad trade because of how much they were giving up. I think they just need to figure out a way to flip Nunn and a pick into a knock down shooter and they’re good to go.

Bron has been really good since coming back from injury - by the end of the year, he could be one of the best guys in the league again and the Lakers could look like title contenders fr

AD has been great! However, the teams success started with Russ. He has been great by giving the ball energy, attacking the basket, and assisting. As a result, everyone on the team is more confident because they are involved in the flow of the offense. Give Russ his respect.

I love the Sharpie stats sheets. Someone get JJ to have an ESPN intern to teach him how to use the Numbers app on his phone to run stats like a pro.

When he played with yhr Pelicans, him and Cousins went on that 6 game run or something like that that was one of the best AD seasons also. I'm glad to see him staying consistent with health and his game play, plus the Lakers are letting the players play there type of game.

JJ you make valid points. AD playing at this all time level shows how efficient the shooting and the role players tie into being able to play like this.

That Bron/AD, Russ/AD pick and roll is deadly

I’m just happy AD is starting the game inside and slowly working out. In last 8 games not many 3s and when he shot them it was later in the game and open. Not forcing the jumper and letting himself find a rhythm by going to the line and being physical so the jumpers come later and easier

Agreed 100% JJ. Also the Lakers are being wiser with the 3s they do shoot. At the beginning of the season they were top 5 in three point attempts per game. Now they are at 24th. They dont shoot that many, but when they do they are making them!

AD is for sure a huge part in them winning. Last 10 games he’s been ridiculous. And those last 10 games they are 8-2. Edit: Lakers role players are seriously underrated. Never understood why some people were saying this roster was not good in the beginning of the season. Ofc you have the big 3, but then you add Lonnie walker, Denis, Pat Bev, Austin Reaves, Nunn etc. some of those guys can create their own shots as well. I like how Reaves is getting more touches.

Maaannn we finally got the old AD back, either he was really injured or he got tired of the critics but this is what we needed...AGGRESSION! That two hand dunk over Gafford and Porzingis last night had me through the roof almost.

It's hard for teams to double AD , because he gets very few isos during a game . Most of his game is pnrs , pnps and dhos over and over again . Very few post ups or isos from the top or the ebow .

AD defense & offense is the reason they are winning games

Man I love this team and this AD is what I have been hyping up the last two seasons I feel so good that this AD is back

Russ, Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker, Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown Jr, and Wenyen Gabriel all have made it easier for AD and Bron by just playing within their roles.

It’s funny how Ham was saying he wanted AD to take a lot of 3’s now we see game plan has done a total 180 to him only taking a couple a game. The whole thing is coming together. Everything.

JJ's right. Shooting makes it easier for your stars, especially when they're primarily paint scorers. You would think that because of LeBron's age (and the speed/durability decline the comes with it), and because of AD's injury history, the Lakers would want to assemble a roster with as much shooting as possible to minimize the load on their stars. But for some reason, they've done the opposite. A recent shooting surge has allowed AD/LeBron to be more optimal over the last five games. The Lakers need to add more shooting ASAP.

They limited lebron/ad isos and exclusively run 2 man game with AD+handler and its been very efficient

We got so used to LeBron putting up great stats that when someone else does it we gloss over his that man is averaging 26,9 and 7 in year 20 and people are talking about passing torches they both are equally good both need to be aggressive to win we're in the honeymoon with ad we've been married with Bron so to speak...let's not take him for granted

I think it's guys getting over the LA land shine and buying into their roles, I think the 1st domino was Hamm getting Russ to buying into being the leader off the bench. As soon as that happened all the non starters really started playing better. AD looks healthy and you can even see on some of his dunks he's making sure he's landing safely, He isn't playing afraid to get injured he's playing smart to prevent injuries but more so smart heads up basketball. And Lonnie Walker, can't say enough of how good this guy is doing, I was watching some highlights and he was easily their 3rd best player in many games. The fact that young guys now are getting the green light really means the team is in a place of growth and so far nobody is really running away with the West. The Lakers will be a playoff team and can go on a run if they just keep the trajectory. To see AD outplay Giannis hasn't really happened in a long long time.

To JJ's point lonnie shot 4-4 from 3pt lastnight I feel like they have been shooting better cleaner shots because of AD presence in the paint and in turn AD trust these guys to knock down that said shot .I think it is having great results in their confidence to shoot .hell even Westbrook hiring a few threes but he not jacking them up either

Lakers/lebron haters been quite af lately 😂😂😂

They get a good 3&D during the trade and I can't see any other team stopping them.

The biggest thing i see with AD is he is not falling down as much. Maybe he has more energy or not injured anymore. Also, AD has stopped doing his point guard impression.

the lakers seem to be all on the same page that AD is the guy and AD is answering the call in a BIG way

The NBA is great to watch when the Lakers are good. The Bucks and Lakers game were the top 3 games I've watched this regular season.

shoutout to jj man, i’ve learned so much from just watching his videos

What shooting they can get, one defense guy starting and one coming off the bench for relief, a blitz of point guards to keep the pace high and to keep giving the defense different looks.

Honestly, them running that pick and roll on the block is huge. If ad pops, it's still a high percentage shot. If he rolls, he has great hands and lebron is finding him. Russ bringing that energy off the bench. This team is gonna surprise some.people

AD changed his play style in any temp to try and stay healthy. He became more of a jump shooter that would play defense when he needed to. This year he has put that all aside and is playing with no fear of injury

Obviously MVP if he keeps this up.

This is the type of song that makes you feel happy for others when you are single,and makes you appreciate the moment more when you are with somone you love

Love the written out stat sheet 🤣🤣

Great discussion. Makes me want to subscribe to the pod. I won’t, but it makes me want to

Lonnie walker been a beast too

When I see the Lakers winning, I see Russ playing his game, Lebron playing his game, and Ant playing to his strengths. They're all three extremely used to covering for other positions instead of simply playing their own spot to the best of their abilities. When they're all playing their own positions and not trying to double cover for each other, it's an extremely dangerous team.

the lakers have 2 top 5 playmakers in the league. that's also definitely translating into their success

Would love to hear you discuss assists to makes ratio from a triple threat touch. Perhaps it's hidden within the PER stat.

Do your research JJ! In 2018 AD finished top 3 in MVP and DPOY voting for a reason. He BEEN a beast! Y'all just started paying attention after he went to LA!

JJ!!!! ditch the "things" from the name man "the old man and the three" is just fire!! it sounded weird at the end of the video!!! i didnt even notice it was in the title tbh!! this podcast is literal gas im glad your doing it!! I HOPE YOU READ THIS!!! (maybe its copyright idk)

Lakers have finally bonded with each other. I think that’s helping contribute to their success. They definitely seem to understand how each player plays their game

I am happy to know someone is finally realizing. What has been asked for for years.

That pick and roll with lebron and AD on the short corner is lethal

i like the take. for me i believe its them shooting less threes overall from how they started this season, and going for more than 70 in the paint per game. which is getting them more foul calls and with that also more free throws (which they look to be hitting alot more of then earlier in the season) and Westbrook pass over shooting in most cases

AD did have a better stretch. In 2018 in the middle of the season at one point he averaged 35 a game for 10 games and he averaged 2.6 blocks and 2.4 steals which is ridiculous. He also shot over 50% from the field and that's with only 2.1 turnovers a game which is incredible for any position for a statline like that.

Haven't looked into advanced stats but from the eye test the big 360 is starting to mesh, Russ really finding his rhythm coming off the bench. Russ is really a rhythm based player and that's unlocked the team offense.

I love the way JJ breaks down what’s going on.

AD is good but its also due to better contribution from the TEAM. Esp He's got an excellent Bron & Russ feeding him. Also players other than this BIG 3 are improving and making great contributions eg Reaves, Walker, Shrouder, Brown, Bryant, Gabriel helping bring the win. Also less waste of over shooting for 3s as at start of the season, they're are moving around more & not just stagnant orstanding still-. cutting and looking for paint points. They could rebound and practice freethrows more!

Certainly the best he's played on the Lakers for sure, but he was a top 5 player for 5 years in New Orleans dominating. They never built around him and they were in a small market so no one paid attention. He's right this is probably the 3rd or 4th best stretch in his career. He's been GREAT he just can't stay on the court. Even the past 2 seasons he wasn't terrible. He still averaged 23 and 10 with elite defense, he just wasn't up to par with what we were seeing from him the year before because he was on the same level as Giannis possibly better.

Wow all they need is some size on the wings that are decent at shooting.. maybe like kuz & kcp?

When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired All-Star guard J. Redick from the Philadelphia 76ers in 2017, sports fans were excited by the addition. However, many had their skepticism when they read his back-story. In addition to being a sixth-round draft pick, Redick had never played a full NBA season due to injuries. But by God's grace, Redick proved all his doubters wrong and became one of the team's most valuable players. Next season, Redick led LA to the best record in the league and earned his second All-Star appearance

AD was a monster Boogie Rondo era PELICANS

Ride the momentum. If I'm Lebron, I'm feeding AD early get him goin... turn on that switch mid game then let AD close it out. That way Bron is gettn rest staying fresh and AD Is able to gt comfortable as a closer

They gotta do something with Pat Bev's minutes. Bc he's not making shots in practice or in gms. If they can get a player to take some of those minutes & turn them into 3/4 threes that'll be big

He's playing like a big man and he's getting good help.

whats the nets numbers

Charles Barkley been saying it since last year, which was the Lakers' success will depend on how well AD plays. Yes, Westbrook coming off the bench and players coming back from injury also helps the Lakers but ultimately it falls on AD. If he plays great, the Lakers will play great.

I love JJ but this an example of thinking what yo do best is most important. The reason AD is dominant is because there has been a shift in who is the number one option Russ and bron have been getting AD at least 😢22 easy points a game and AD has been doing the rest that has led to shooters being wide open

Why isn't this on Spotify yet?

Bron playin more of a roller is most of it in my opinion. Deferring as a playmaker unless he’s in the high post mid range etc

Westbrick has been spectacular working pick and roll with AD

This really makes you wonder why shooting is often an afterthought in the NBA draft. You have guys drafted in the top 5 on "potential" who have shown zero ability to shoot the three. They don't even shoot FTs well. I'm thinking of someone like RJ Barrett. And yet you have guys like Trey Murphy, who has great size, great athleticism, and posted 50/43/93 shooting splits at UVA. How in the world does that guy go outside the lottery? It still seems to be that teams undervalue shooting touch as a baseline skill.

They are focused on making AD the main focus like when D wade passes the torch to Bron in Miami.. Along with making him live in the paint 💯 Russ has great chemistry with AD it’s been beautiful to watch

JJ is not on ESPN anymore?

No segments on the Kings?

I wanna hear from all the Lakers fans that wanted LeBron traded 2 weeks ago

We back 💜💛

The Lakers success relies solely on their ability to hit 3s. They have great pieces to mitigate shooting slumps, which is why they’re competitive in games where it looks like they can’t shoot at all. When they shoot well, it takes pressure off AD and Lebrons 2 man game. Provides spacing for Russ to attack.

Lakers dont need a trade if they can somehow get Miles Bridges via Free Agency then they're set. they have Loonie Walker consistent 3rd Option.

The lebron AD pick and roll is the most unstoppable in the league and it’s not even close.. whether it’s bron using the screen to score, using it and then lobbing to AD, or BOTH bron and AD getting doubled and opening up shooters, it’s unstoppable. And it’s beautiful basketball

You have to give credit to the new coach philosophy You can his focus is Keeping AD involved at all times.. Basically the team works off of AD. #1 OPTION.. BRINGING RUSS Off the bench GREAT ENERGY!!!!!!!!!!

I thought I knew about basketball until I started listening to JJ. Lmao

Healthy LeBron+Davis is a tough duo. They some monsters.

Yea better give us credit JJ, you hate on us when we losing, better give us credit when we winning brother!

Yo my boy jj really an artist out here

Most of the Lakers role players had decent three point career averages, so when they were all only around 15-20%, I knew they were overdue to get hot

This man has always had stretches of great but never a whole season, not even half a season, until he just stopped trying or gets injured

Defense has not been a question for the Lakers this season, their offense was. Now they are figured it out..

Like shaq says, don't have to be a great shooting team. Just make timely shots 👌

Someone needs to teach this man how to use Microsoft Excel - better yet, get a Microsoft sponsorship. "Want to digitise your hand written tables? That's Excel"

I think it’s way simpler than this. We are talking about a team that has barely played together. Russ Lebron and AD had like 21 games together last year. Not to mention pretty big roster turn over for the 4th year in a row and a new coach. These numbers don’t really mean that much with the lakers team because a lot has changed since the first 12 games. Freaking lebron was shooting like 10% from 3! They have found an identity and almost everyone has figured out their roles now. The chemistry keeps getting better as well. The west is also pretty open. I don’t see a juggernaut type team. I see some really good teams that are beatable.

If they make the playoffs, you'll never hear the end of it from Pat Bev. 😆

The brow stay healthy lakers are dangerous. Could use more shooting and defense

It's more than AD but everybody pretty much agreed that as long as AD can stay on the court the Lakers are going to be decent at the very least

No visual?

Lonnie and Reaves are really good three point shooters

It’s AD. I know the other players play a role, but if AD is healthy this team is immediately put in the convo for possible contenders. In about 5 games of being healthy he went from being criticized to a front runner for MVP.

whats the lakers record?

Russ and LeBron are so good at the p&r that if AD plays aggressive and makes correct reads on when to cut, those two ball handlers will make sure he gets the ball. Idk how much credit goes to who but someone in LA- Coach and/or players- have been stressing getting ball to AD in his best spots. GA has that in MIL, Joel and Jokic get that luxury but AD hasnt really gotten that in LA due to injuries which forced LeBron to be #1 option and many nights Russ as #2, when AD needs touches all game every game, he's that dominant

Russ energy and playstyle to attack the basket is a huge reason why AD is going off lately. When Lebron is in or out, you can count on Russ to initiate the pnr and get the inside out play going. This team would be even scarier with another good wing or big

Does JJ run his own comment section? If so sweet to see you answer some comments

Lot of talk about getting Myles Turner. I wouldn't. If AD is playing this great at the 5 why move him? I doubt if you trade for Turner he would be ok being the back up, playing 15 min a night in a contract year. Even if he did accept the role he would probably walk in free agency. Buddy Hield would be a better pick up. It would be an easier player to plug right into the offense. So if you trade maybe Russ and a 1st for Hield then go and trade guys like Pat Bev and Nunn, who aren't great fits right now, and the other 1st for another 3 point shooter... Thats what will make you a contender.

Are you gonna talk about the Kings soon? You still think it was a bad trade? Sabonis is a 2-time all-star. I would like to hear what you think about the Kings right now