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Dave McMenamin
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — After making his team run a series of full-court sprints to finish its third day of training camp Thursday, Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick admitted what helped his players’ conditioning might have hurt his popularity in the locker room.
“I don’t know if they like me right now,” Redick said.
The second-year coach ended his inaugural season on the sideline in L.A. by issuing a directive to his team to get into “championship shape” this offseason, and the training camp drills are only reinforcing the mandate.
Though Redick said the message wasn’t aimed at any individual, it clearly was received by 26-year-old superstar Luka Doncicwho transformed his body over the summer with intense workouts and dietary discipline.
“It’s not just physical shape, it’s mental shape, too,” Doncic said of Redick’s approach for his team. “Both are very important. We’re doing it in practice. It was great. Everybody’s in great shape. Everybody’s running a lot, so it’s been great so far.”
L.A. ended its last practice before its six-game preseason slate tips off Friday in Palm Desert, California, against the Phoenix Suns with a gamut of lung-pumping runs. Players had to run six court lengths in 34 seconds, followed by a short break; then 10 court lengths in 60 seconds, followed by a short break; and finally, six more court lengths in 34 seconds.
Redick joined the team for the final push.
“I just ran the last six,” said Redick, still flush in the face from the workout, “and I’m good [not running anymore for the day].”
After the Lakers’ 50-win season that secured them the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs was cut short with a first-round exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves in just five games, the increased dedication was a way for L.A. to improve internally beyond player personnel changes.
“I think there’s three ways I kind of view ‘Are we in shape?'” Redick said. “The first would be, ‘Are we sprinting back defensively?’ ‘Are we playing with pace offensively?’ And I would include our ability to crash and then get back on defense in that. And then, ‘Are we being physical?’
“So, if those things are being done at a really high level, we’re in shape.”
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent said Redick’s demands are welcomed, even if players’ tired legs might result in temporary animosity toward their coach.
“I told JJ about a week or two ago, I said, ‘If we all hate you, but we all hate you collectively, that’s great,'” Vincent said. “So as long as we’re together in it. Obviously no one wants to run at the end of a long practice, but we know the goal we have set for ourselves and we know what we’re trying to do moving forward. And we all embraced it.
“We all got the run in and we all got better for it.”
That is, all the players who were cleared for practice did.
LeBron James (nerve irritation in his glute), Marcus Smart (left Achilles tendinopathy) and rookie Adou thiero (left knee swelling) were held out Thursday and will not play against the Suns.
Lakers big man Maxi glue is also out “for a few days,” according to Redick, after having a quad injury that occurred the first day of camp evaluated by the medical staff.
Redick said he would have his players play “short bursts” against the Suns and avoid rotations that would keep them on the court for eight to 10 straight minutes. He also said he would be “sensitive” to Doncic’s and Austin Reaves‘ workloads, in particular, after Doncic played in EuroBasket over the summer and Reaves has been pushing himself during camp.
