Updated
Because of his larger than life aura, the biggest move of the NBA offseason was LeBron James leaving the Los Angeles Lakers to join the Philadelphia 76ers. It was a somewhat expected move given that rumors suggesting his exit from L.A. had been around for a while.
Still, it was still stunning to see James put on a Sixers uniform during opening night on Tuesday. So far, so good for James and the 76ers, as they beat the New York Knicks at MSG in the season opener. The new-look Lakers will get a chance to strut their stuff at home against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.
When everyone is healthy, the Lakers' roster will look a lot different this season. Walker Kessler was the big addition, but they also added Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Cameron Carr, and more players. Head coach JJ Redick has his work cut out for him while trying to get all of the new pieces and old pieces to gel together.
Luka Doncic sends Lakers fans a scare after taking hard hit in preseason return
JJ Redick believes Lakers roster without LeBron James and co. gives him more options
In Redick's viewpoint, though, the new roster without James and other departing players could actually prove to be beneficial. While speaking to ESPN, Redick explained why the Lakers could potentially be better this season than in the past.
I don't want to compare the teams or the rosters, and I really have not thought about last year's team. What excites me about this roster is there are elements of modern basketball that we just haven't been able to do. Even with [Marcus] Smart, Smart at his age, can't pick up full court every single possession. And he was the only person that was even capable of doing that on our team last year to begin with. So just that alone, that's exciting. I think Walker has the potential to be one of the best rim [protection] guys, and when he's played, he's been that for the most part... So, it's more just being excited about this team, than comparing the two teams.
Redick believes his roster last season wasn't very versatile. With players like James, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura, and DeAndre Ayton gone, it sounds like Redick can do some things he wasn't able to before.