JJ Redick Sets the Tone for Lakers With 3 Training Camp Priorities

Training camp is officially underway for the Los Angeles Lakers, with a lot of work to be done for this new-look roster, with starting jobs up for grabs and roles needing to be defined.

As usual, head coach JJ Redick is not messing around with the start of the 2026-27 NBA season around the corner, as he made sure to set the tone for training camp.

JJ Redick Reveals 3 Distinct Goals for Lakers Training Camp

On Wednesday, with two practices in the books for this revamped Lakers squad, the team posted a short video on its X account in which Redick details three goals he has for his players during camp.

3 goals. All in 💪@BMO_US | Lakers Training Camp pic.twitter.com/vW5ZLfZEWT
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 30, 2026

“I have three goals for camp,” Redick said. “Continue to establish our defensive principles. Continue to establish our early offense, which has been our main priority for all of September.

“And then lastly, just get in great shape.”

With so many new faces in Los Angeles, Redick will have his work cut out for him, as many tough decisions will need to be made before the season opener on Oct. 21, from getting the roster down to 15 players to setting his starting lineup and figuring out who will be in the rotation to begin the 2026-27 campaign.

Defense Continues to be a Point of Emphasis

With superstar Luka Doncic being arguably the best scorer in the league and coming off his second scoring title, offense isn’t a major concern, especially with Austin Reaves being a high-level scorer and Walker Kessler also being formidable in that area.

However, defense is a big question mark for this new-look Lakers roster, even with Kessler as a massive upgrade as a rim protector.

That said, it seems as though Redick has been emphasizing that this team must be a good defensive squad to compete with the best of the best in the Western Conference, and he’s right.

If the Lakers aren’t a force to be reckoned with defensively, the team will go through some rough stretches during the upcoming regular season, with teams like the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder bound to be on a level that Los Angeles simply can’t reach.

Although there are questions about this team’s ability to play defense at a high level heading into training camp, Kessler seems very confident that they’ll be “nasty” on that end of the floor, which is an encouraging sign coming from one of the best defensive centers in the NBA.

Only time will tell how things pan out defensively for Redick’s squad, but the message has been sent to start camp, with the players needing to prove their worth in the coming weeks.

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