Pictured above: Lebron James is rediscovering his prime this season

However, under the guidance of JJ Redick, the Lakers have climbed to 2nd in the West and are now viewed by some as serious championship contenders.

JJ Redick’s new era

The change in fortunes began with the appointment of former NBA shooting guard, JJ Redick, as head coach in June 2024.  Although the selection of the 40-year-old rookie was initially greeted with consternation, opinions quickly shifted as results improved.

Redick has resolved the defensive fragilities which plagued the team in 2023/24 and has built a cohesive squad who trust and know each other’s roles. The Lakers now play with a clear identity which centres on commitment. As Redick described in his post-game press conference following Thursday’s win over the New York Knicks, the Lakers have an “ability to continually just reach down into the well and give whatever they’ve got on a given night”.

Defensive dominance

This all-or-nothing attitude has been epitomised by a shift in defensive performances, which has underpinned the team’s renaissance this season.

The Lakers’ defence ranked 17th in the league last season and the departure of Anthony Davis in January 2025 left many fans concerned that the Lakers would be further exposed defensively going into the second half of the 2024/25 season. Davis was third in the league for defensive rebounds last year and with the Mark Williams trade collapsing in February, it was expected the Lakers would struggle to compensate for his loss in areas such as rebounding, steals and shot blocking.

However, the Lakers have defied the odds and currently rank 1st in the league for defensive rating across the last 15 games (all of which were played without Anthony Davis). Behind the numbers has been an overhauling of the Lakers’ transition defence and discipline - two areas which Darvin Ham had previously highlighted in 2023.

Earlier in the season, the Lakers were leaking points, particularly on transition. The arrival of Dorian Finney-Smith in December and the return of Jarred Vanderbilt in January has helped stem this tide. Finney-Smith’s impact as a 3-and-D is clear to see in transition and he has the joint highest +/- over the last 15 games of any player for the Lakers (joint only with Luka Doncic). Vanderbilt for his part has commanded the perimeter and provided further aggression on defence.

Other team members have also stepped up to fill Anthony Davis’ boots closer to the basket. In particular, Lebron James has been excellent, putting up the 14th highest defensive rebounds in the league this season - something JJ Redick was keen to highlight on Tuesday last week when he described James’ performances as being “at an all-NBA defense level” over the last six weeks.

Gabe Vincent, Jaxon Hayes, Trey Jemison III and Luka Dončić’ have also provided important defensive contributions. These performances across the team reflect a change in attitude. The collective aggression and commitment to swarming shooters and stifling transitions, makes the Lakers a difficult team to score against. As Jemison III put it: “You want this win, you have to come fight us, literally fight us”. The Lakers are now a team of fighters and every point scored against them is a battle.

The Dončić’ effect

Whilst the Lakers’ defence has been the biggest contributor to their revival, the addition of Dončić’ could be the missing piece which transforms them from a strong play-off outfit, into championship contenders.

After a quiet first few games following his blockbuster trade, Dončić’ is now starting to dominate the court. He has scored 29+ points in each of the last 4 games and became only the fourth player in Lakers’ history to register 30+ points and 15+ assists in a single game last Tuesday when the Lakers dismantled the Pelicans.

With a clear understanding developing between Dončić’ and Lebron James, and other players picking up offensively this season (Austin Reaves, for example, has averaged 19.1 points compared to 15.9 last year), the Lakers are becoming an increasing threat going forward. Combine this with their rock-solid defence and the Lakers could prove to be the real deal come play-offs.