The Lakers kicked off their summer season break by signing their star participant to a contract extension in a flashy information convention that includes Balkan walk-up music and a photograph gallery show of Luka Doncic’s finest Lakers moments. The workforce returned Thursday by saying their continued dedication to their coach.
Lakers common supervisor Rob Pelinka introduced head coach JJ Redick had signed a contract extension at a information convention with the coach because the Lakers start coaching camp subsequent Tuesday.
Redick signed a four-year, $32-million contract final 12 months as a first-time head coach and led the Lakers to a 50-32 regular-season report and the No. 3 seed within the Western Convention earlier than shedding to the Minnesota Timberwolves within the first spherical of playoffs. The phrases of the brand new deal weren’t introduced.
“We predict he’s a particular coach with a particular voice that’s actually serving to us outline the tradition of Lakers excellence,” Pelinka mentioned. “We simply wished to make a transparent assertion that that is what we consider in, what we’re going to lean into and what our gamers are going to mould into as we proceed to develop the identification. I feel having long-term planning is useful as we construct this workforce and go ahead.”
Redick’s extension was one of many ending touches on what Pelinka referred to as “an intentional and productive offseason.” The Lakers touted main additions of heart Deandre Ayton and perimeter gamers Marcus Sensible and Jake LaRavia who had been every hand-selected for his or her matches round Doncic and LeBron James.
James opted into the ultimate 12 months of his contract, and Doncic signed a three-year extension on the primary day the Lakers might provide in August.
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After a blockbuster midseason commerce introduced the previous Dallas Maverick to L.A. in February, Doncic and James will enter their first full season along with questions on how the Lakers can finest steadiness the 40-year-old James and his 26-year-old fellow star.
Redick, who mentioned he had two productive in-person conferences with James this offseason, will oversee the league’s most-watched switch of energy.
Redick acknowledged that becoming a member of the Lakers brings constant strain. Then he was additionally transitioning from broadcasting to teaching whereas transferring cities, settling his youngsters into new colleges and adjusting to a seismic midseason commerce. Redick’s first 12 months got here with little time to mirror or course of.
After the Lakers had been eradicated from the primary spherical of the playoffs, Redick paused to contemplate his new profession. He ruminated for weeks on learn how to outline his philosophy as a coach and his methodology. He looked for solutions in conferences with Rams coach Sean McVay, former NFL quarterback Tom Brady and Brady’s former New England Patriots coach Invoice Belichick.
By way of their conversations, he got here away with a easy technique to attain success.
“We're going to ask guys to be in championship form, have championship communication and championship habits,” Redick mentioned. “That's a every day dedication to that.”
James, who will begin an unprecedented twenty third NBA season subsequent week, has all the time been dedicated to these pillars, Redick mentioned. Doncic has adopted go well with.
The Slovenian famous person’s rebuilt and slimmed down physique was the speak of the NBA summer season after main journal profiles in Males’s Well being and the Wall Road Journal. The offseason work paid off in EuroBasket, the place Doncic averaged 34.7 factors, 8.6 rebounds and seven.1 assists in Slovenia’s run to the quarterfinals. He was named to the event’s five-man All-Star workforce.
However after touring to Poland to not solely watch Doncic play however to watch Slovenian workforce practices, Pelinka got here away simply as impressed by Doncic’s off-court habits as his on-court sport.
“How he not solely led by instance, however he was very demonstrative within the follow when it comes to his expectations of the workforce, how they performed, their togetherness,” Pelinka mentioned. “Simply seeing that continued evolution and progress with him as not solely a frontrunner by instance however a frontrunner together with his voice actually stood out to me.”
Redick famous Doncic’s improved motion and protection throughout the European competitors, and the coach expects to see the identical model of the star guard stateside.
“I anticipate one of the best model of Luka,” Redick mentioned, “and it’s my job as a coach to deliver that out every day.”
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This story initially appeared in Los Angeles Instances.
