New Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick recently made an appearance on Zach Lowe's podcast, The Lowe Post, and revealed LA's starting lineup for the 2024-25 season.
The Lakers starting lineup will obviously include LeBron James and Anthony Davis. D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura are set to join the superstars in the lineup. It is a lineup that has found success in the past, and Redick is hoping for more promising results in his first season with the team.
LeBron is arguably the best player of all-time. James is going to play a massive role in LA's 2024-25 season. Russell, Reaves and Hachimura will also impact the Lakers in a pivotal manner. However, Anthony Davis' play may ultimately determine how well the Lakers fare during the 2024-25 campaign.
Lakers need Anthony Davis to play at MVP-caliber level
LeBron is still a great player. With that being said, he isn't in his prime anymore. The Lakers need Davis to be the best player on the roster.
Redick and the Lakers are confident in Davis
The 31-year-old averaged 24.7 points per game on 55.6 percent field goal shooting during the 2023-24 season. He added 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.3 blocks per outing.
Davis is a terrific offensive presence in the paint. His defense, though, makes him one of the best all-around players in the NBA. The Lakers rely on Davis' rim-protecting prowess.
Davis appeared in more than 70 games in 2023-24 for the first time since the 2017-18 season. Injuries had been a concern for Davis, but he recorded 76 games played last year. If he can stay healthy again, the Lakers should be in a position to compete.
Of course, there will be an adjustment as Redick takes over the head coaching duties. Redick has never coached at the NBA level before, and Lakers fans expect the team to win games. The pressure will be immense.
Los Angeles will be one of the more interesting teams to follow throughout the 2024-25 campaign as they hope to emerge as a serious contender.