Los Angeles Lakers head coach J.J. Redick revealed his exciting plan for superstar Anthony Davis on the offensive end of the floor in the 2024-25 season.
he is here to stay. pic.twitter.com/tPtR0ly1wr
— ²³ (@SpeakContext) June 24, 2024
“Offensively, I think he’s a star,” Redick said of Davis. “I want to use him as a hub – something him and I talked about. Someone who can obviously attack one on one, can create mismatches, but also someone that can get assists off dribble handoffs, that can get assists out of cuts.
“So, we’re going to attempt to use him a lot as a hub on the offensive end.”
An All-NBA selection in the 2023-24 season, Davis averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 27.1 percent from 3-point range in 76 games.
Davis showcased his impressive passing ability more than usual in the 2023-24 campaign, as his 3.5 assists per game were the second-highest mark of his NBA career (he averaged 3.9 assists per game in the 2018-19 season with the New Orleans Pelicans).
Redick will be tasked with getting the most out of Davis and LeBron James to help the Lakers make a deep playoff run in the 2024-25 season. A former NBA player, Redick may have a different viewpoint from some other coaches in the league when it comes to involving his stars on the offensive end.
In the 2023-24 season, Davis attempted just 16.9 shots per game – his lowest total since his second year in the NBA – but he was extremely efficient, posting the second-highest field-goal percentage of his NBA career.
It seems pretty clear that Redick values what Davis brings on the offensive end of the floor, and playing through the big man may help the Lakers generate more open looks for role players like Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves and others next season.
Los Angeles finished the 2023-24 regular season as a play-in tournament team, but it fought through the play-in to earn the No. 7 seed in the West. Unfortunately, the Lakers were promptly knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the Denver Nuggets.
Bringing Redick in as the head coach is a big change for the franchise since he doesn’t have any NBA coaching experience.
Los Angeles is hoping that the former NBA sharpshooter can put players like Davis in the best position to succeed to maximize the rest of the time he and James are still on the roster.
