Baron Davis Says JJ Redick Has an Easier Time Coaching the Lakers Since LeBron James Left

Before the season, JJ Redick said this Lakers roster has a better fit and makeup for today's NBA than any other group he has coached in Los Angeles. Reports took the remark as a little shot at the LeBron James era. Now an NBA veteran has gone further, saying the departure of James has handed Redick something he never fully had: a clean slate to build a system.

Baron Davis made the argument on Gil's Arena. "With LeBron you don't have philosophy, you don't have a system. Now when LeBron is gone it's like, 'Okay, I'm the coach, I can build around you,'" he said. "You saw what it looked like with Austin Reaves and Luka last year without LeBron, right? People got really excited."

Davis made a coaching point as much as a roster point. His view was that Redick can now set the rules instead of working around a superstar who has shaped every lineup for years. That is a strong claim, and it is Davis's opinion, not a view Redick shares publicly.

The Lakers gave him new pieces to work with. They traded for center Walker Kessler and signed Quentin Grimes and Sandro Mamukelashvili, a versatile big man Redick has called an “offensive connector” who can play center and spend time on the wing.

One report described Redick as happy to have more flexibility across positions and confident in Reaves as the No. 2 option next to Luka Doncic.

There are skeptics. Byron Scott said the Lakers had the NBA's "most overrated offseason." His concern, shared by others, is that the roster lacks a third star and depth at some positions. Davis argued the opposite, that the structure matters more than a third star.

The Lakers opened the season 3-0. They've beaten the Warriors 127-105, the Clippers 125-117, and Utah 132-123, with Kessler and Doncic both playing at a high level. That is only three games, and those opponents are not necessarily elite this season. But it gives the new setup an early sign of life.

LeBron is a factor on the other side too. He is now with the 76ers, and Philadelphia has already shown it needs him to play multiple roles. The Lakers' own transition is partly a story of what they gained and partly what they gave up.

Redick's job is clearer than it was a year ago. He has a star in Doncic, a second option in Reaves and a roster built to complement them, with no one around who changes the lineup rules by default.

If the Lakers succeed, Davis' "philosophy" argument will look right. If they stall, the "most overrated offseason" line will come back. Either way, the answer is likely to come before the playoffs.