The 2026-27 NBA season is almost here, and apparently JJ Redick still has some homework to finish.
Training camp starts Monday, September 29, yet the Los Angeles Lakers are still working through questions about how their new-look roster will actually fit together. Apparently, having NBA players is not enough. You also need to figure out where to put them.
"I'm pretty confident in 3 of the spots. The other two spots will not be two white guys.”
— JJ Redick on the Lakers starting lineup.
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) September 24, 2026
Redick and Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka recently spoke with reporters about the team’s roster reconstruction. The message was simple. The Lakers have made changes, but the final picture is not completely clear yet.
And that means Redick has plenty to think about.
Redick was clear that guards Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves along with center Walker Kessler are all penciled in as starters for the upcoming season, but position battles remain.
As for the rest of the starting lineup? Redick joked, “The other spots will not be two white guys.”
Pelinka stated that the team has three clear objectives for the roster this offseason.
The first was re-signing Reaves, who agreed to a four-year, $180 million max contract in July. The team also had aspirations of acquiring a “franchise center” to play alongside Dončić.
Kessler signed a four-year, $130 million deal with the Lakers, but in order to secure the big man, the Lakers needed to send multiple draft assets to the Utah Jazz as part of the trade, including unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030.
The Lakers are entering another season with expectations that could probably fill Crypto.com Arena. This is Los Angeles, after all. A normal season is apparently not allowed. Every lineup decision becomes a headline. Every rotation change becomes a debate. And every loss somehow becomes a five-part investigation.
Redick knows this better than most.
As head coach, he will have to decide which combinations work best once the players are on the court together. Training camp should give him a chance to test different lineups, rotations and roles before the regular season begins.
